Angel Of Mine
by WildLilFlower
Summary: Despite what she says, Quinn is having trouble adjusting to college life. But someone comes to the rescue, but not who you think. Eventual Faberry. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Things Will Get Better

**A/N****: Here I am again, tryin' to write. With the unforeseen popularity of TOTGA, I've decided to try out my luck again. The title is kind of tentative. I got this idea from listening to Monica's "Angel Of Mine" and my mind's gears began to turn. I really have no idea where I'm gonna go with this, so bear with me. Any mistakes I've made, I do apologize.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters. I do own Rainier though.**

* * *

The train slid to a stop at the station in New Haven, allowing a blond beauty to step onto the grounds of her current home. Quinn Fabray let out a soft sigh as she began the trek to her dorm room in the snow. As far as she was concerned, the trip back to Lima was a bust. A few weeks ago, she hadn't seen Rachel for Thanksgiving. And if she knew the little diva at all, Finn was the cause of that. Now, returning to Yale after Winter Break, she still hadn't seen Rachel. Sure, they emailed each other every week, but that wasn't the same as being in the same proximity. Another sigh passed as she opens the door to her room, knowing that her roommate wasn't going to be around.

Despite all that she bragged about while in Lima, Quinn had a horrible time adjusting to college life. Ever since the start of the semester, she had troubles. She made a bad first impression on her roommate, reverting back to her HBIC self due to nervousness and fear. Now, they avoided each other as much as they could, only seeing each other in the classes they shared. The workload was overwhelming, but she managed, especially with virtually no social life. At least she enjoyed the classes. Don't even get her started on her fling with her psychology professor. She was going to end that as soon as she could. There was nothing good coming out of that one.

It was no surprised that she stretched the truth to her friends back home. She was Quinn Fucking Fabray after all. She's been through so much already. If she was able to deal with the dramas of high school, college should've been a piece of cake. Of course, Santana saw right through her. They were alike in so many ways, it was no wonder that they were the best of friends.

Now, alone in the comfort of her room, Quinn just flopped onto her bed. She was close to breaking down. Because of the colder weather, her back was killing her, almost crippling her sometimes. She hadn't seen Rachel in seven months, even after dropping so much money on those Metro North passes. A new semester was about to start and the school work was going to be hell.

All the emotions she bottled up from the past few months began to overflow and creep past her walls. The former Cheerio had hopes that throwing herself into school would help fool herself into thinking that she was strong. But the added emotions she gathered from being back in Lima wasn't helping. She had to deal with Santana's emotions about having to let Brittany go and seeing her get closer to Sam. She had to deal with that Kitty girl following her like a little puppy. Finn's jealous eyes and Mercedes's knowing glances didn't help her emotions either. At least Mike was able to keep her sane, often times pulling her away for a random dance session whenever he saw that she was bogged down. It always made her feel better, at least for a little bit. That seemed to be the kind of relationship Quinn had with the Asian boy. She had never sought after the dancer in their high school years, but after Glee club, they seemed to know how each other's minds worked. They were like kindred spirits. The only other person she shared that with was Santana, Brittany, and Rachel. But none of them were here now. No one was around to make her feel better, or help her talk things out. No one was around to challenge her and push her to be a better Quinn.

Tears began to fall.

Quinn hugged her pillow as tight as she could, unable to keep the tears at bay any longer, but still refusing to break down completely. She was just glad that at least no one was around to see her cry.

Or so she thought.

Suddenly, she heard the doorknob jiggles and the lock turn. No one else would have the key to her room but her roommate. Her heart rate spiked as she began to panic. Quinn threw her pillow aside and hastily tried to wipe away any evidence of her tears, but to no avail. They continued to stream down her face as the door swung open, allowing her roommate to make her presence.

The door closed as teary, hazel eyes met with clear, pale blue ones.

Rainier Shinziko was in the middle of taking off her scarf, but halted her motions when she saw her roommate. Her eyes turned cold, for a moment before she noticed Quinn's face. Eyebrows furrowed and the blonde could see that she was being studied by the other girl. Embarrassed, she turned away and started to wipe at her cheeks again, her tears having stopped for the moment. She heard the rustle of clothing and thuds of things being put down. At the noise, Quinn chanced a glance at the other. Suddenly, Rainier approached her, stopping right in front of Quinn's bed.

Quinn noticed that the other girl had taken off her outerwear, revealing a dark turtleneck, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and jeans. If Quinn were to describe Rainier in one word, she would've said "handsome." The slightly taller girl had short, side-swept, onyx hair framing a sculpted face. At a glance, people may have mistaken her for a boy, but a closer look revealed the softer angles of her face. Broad shoulders held strong, lean arms that matched her torso. Quinn was envious of her because before she had Beth and before the accident, she use to have the abs that Rainier had.

Silence filled the room as the duo assessed each other. Rainier broke the silence with a small sigh and turned her head for a moment. With a tilt of her head, she looked back towards Quinn, a small, sympathetic smile gracing her lips. Without a word, she opened her arms, offering a hug.

Quinn looked up at the dark-haired girl, confused. But, she knew she needed it. She needed to have someone there for her. Support and care was emanating from the other girl's aura. Tears started to spring forth again as her emotions began to overflow once more. Quinn bowed her head and suppressed a sob, before looking back up at Rainier.

"W-why? I was awful to you before." Her voice broke as her feelings got the better of her.

She was answered with a soft chuckle.

"You think I'm blind enough to not see who you really are? You're not the bitch I met in the beginning of the year. I know that. I've dealt with girls like you back in high school. Hiding behind a façade like their lives depended on it."

Quinn couldn't help but let Rachel invade her mind as she listened to her roommate speak. Despite a bad first impression, there was still hope for a friend. Rainier knelt down in front of Quinn and looked up into her eyes.

"Look…I know you were overwhelmed. You're from a small town, right?" The blonde nodded in response.

"I'm an urban girl myself. Lived in Boston most of my life. I can help you adjust if you need to. Everyone needs a friend, hm?"

Quinn nodded again in response. Her face contorting as she allowed the sobs to escape her body. She leaned into the taller girl's body and clung onto her as if she was her lifeline. Rainier was thrown at the sudden force of the embrace, but wrapped her own arms around the crying girl. She shifted slightly and managed to arrange the two of them onto Quinn's bed. Encircling her arms more securely around Quinn, Rainier begins to mutter soft reassurances as she let her hand rub circles on her back. It was going to be a long night, but she knew that for the blonde girl in her arms, the cry was long overdue.

This was nothing short of freeing for Quinn. She was happy that she finally had someone at Yale to call her friend. Someone she could call her confidant. Quinn knew she was taking a gamble, giving her roommate this much trust, but somewhere in her heart, she knew that it was a risk worth taking. It was like Rainier had made her role in her life at the best time. With her faith, Quinn could even say that Rainier was like her guardian angel.

Or maybe, she actually was.

Even with this much of a gamble, a test still needed to be given. As her sobs quelled to soft hiccups, Quinn moved slightly, getting comfortable. She felt Rainier's arms hover above her as she shuffled around, and land back on her when she settled. The blonde's mind turned, debating on whether to ask the question in her head or not. It was an odd request for someone she barely knew, and she knew that.

"Y'know, you should just ask whatever's on your mind. I can practically see the steam coming out of your ears."

Quinn let out a soft laugh before allowing silence to overtake them again. Chewing the inside of her cheek, she finally decided to throw caution to the wind.

"I know this is weird to ask, but…C-could you sing 'Keep Holding On' for me? You really don't have to I just…"

Her words trailed off as she heard the soft alto of her new friend's voice. The vibrations of the girl's chest matched with the hums that made their way to Quinn's ears. As the first words of the lyrics were softly sung, more tears spilled from hazel orbs.

Just like that, the song that kept her going years ago continues to do its job.

Just like that, Quinn knew she was going to be okay.

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**A/N****: Well, I'm at your mercy once more. Please, let me know what you think. I kind of plan to make this a more Quinn-centric fic because she's my favorite character out of Glee. You'll learn more about Rainier in the next chapter if you like it.**

**Read. Review. Criticize constructively. It's all appreciated. Thank you so very much.**


	2. Getting To Know Each Other

**A/N****: Well. Looks like people actually approve of Rainier. As promised, you'll learn a bit more about Rain in this chapter. I guess this is technically a continuation of the previous chapter, so it's a tad shorter than usual. Things'll pick up a little bit after this though. I'm still not entirely sure how many chapters this will be, so bear with me. As usual, any mistakes I apologize for.**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. I do, however, own Rainier Shinziko.**

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Within the next few days, Quinn learned more and more about Rainier, or Rain as she preferred. Whenever they both had free time, the duo always sought each other out. She was more than happy whenever Rain would pop up and seemingly appear out of nowhere. It reminded her that there was someone around to keep her sane. There was someone who would be there for her when she needed it.

Their newfound friendship, however, didn't stop Quinn from feeling mortified the morning after she broke down crying. The two had stayed awake as Quinn laid out a basic synopsis of her entire life for Rain. The dark-haired girl had listened intently, raising an eyebrow or voicing questions at certain parts. The blonde had practically fallen asleep in mid-sentence. The next morning, Quinn hadn't been ready to wake up and buried her face into her pillow, only to find that it wasn't a pillow she was laying on. Rain was more than willing to crack a joke about the girl being a little frisky so soon after waking up, but thought better of it and reassured the blushing Quinn that things were all right.

The night before classes were to begin again, they were enjoying dinner together in their room, continuing to get to know each other. They had set up times, mostly while they ate, to ask each other questions about their lives before college. They had jumped around Rain's life, but Quinn's remained in chronological order. It was mostly because of the fact that so much more happened in Quinn's life that it was much easier than just jumping around as questions were asked. At the moment though, it was the blonde's turn at interrogating Rain.

"So, you're half Japanese and half French?"

"Yup," came the answer as Rain shoveled food into her mouth.

"But…you lived with a Chinese family?"

Rain bobbed her head to affirm the statement, holding her finger up to halt Quinn's interrogation as she swallowed.

"They were friends of the family. I played with their daughter a lot back in the day. Our moms would arrange play dates almost every other day. So, after my parents died in a car wreck, it was only natural that they would be the ones to take me into their care."

Flashbacks of her own accident began to invade Quinn's mind. She ducked her head and muttered a soft apology.

"It's ok. I was real young when they passed. And you," Rain pointed to the somber girl across from her. "You're still here, alive and kicking. Be happy and make the most of it."

Quinn nodded and took a deep breath. She spooned some of her food and ate it before continuing with her inquiry.

"Who do you take most after then?"

"Look-wise? I pretty much look like a female version of my dad. The only thing I really got from my mom was her eyes, aside from, y'know, the obvious assets. Actually…"

Rain stood up from her place on the ground and walked to her dresser. Shuffling was the only thing Quinn heard as she ate, along with some random noises that the other girl was making. A soft "Aha" caught the blonde's attention as she looked up to see Rain walk back with a photo in her hand.

"This is the last photo we took together." She looked at the picture fondly before handing it over to Quinn so she could see.

Three people stared back as her eyes roamed the glossy surface. All three were smiling widely. Rain looked like she was only three or four years old. Her mother was one of those classic beauties, with eyes that shone like diamonds. Rain was right to say that she was the spitting image of her father. Aside from her obvious feminine features, the half-Asian was basically a younger version of him and it greatly amused Quinn.

"Stop grinning like that. I told you I looked exactly like my dad." Rain snatched the picture out of the blonde's fingers and put it back in her photo album. She returned and plopped back down across from Quinn.

"My turn. Where did we leave off with you? Umm…" Eyebrows furrowed and a hand took its place at her chin as Rain assumed a thinking position. Quinn looked on, a lazy smile gracing her features as she tilted her head.

"I think we just passed the baby-stealing phase of my life." Rain's eyes widened, remembering the fact that she had yelled out in disbelief in a crowded restaurant when she and Quinn were having lunch together.

"Oh yeah…THAT."

-x-o-x-o-x-

Hours passed and the two had long since finished eating. Now, they were preparing for bed, having just completed dictating their life stories and staying up much longer than they should have. Both were lying in bed, silent until Rain's voice drifted into the air.

"Hey. The majority of your high school life involved your friend, Rachel. What is she to you?"

The sharp intake of breath helped Rain to determine that Quinn was still awake. Silence once again permeated the air and the dark-haired girl feared that she had pressed the wrong button. She turned her head to look at her roommate. Her profile was just barely visible in the darkness, but her hazel eyes were bright and awake. Looking back up towards the ceiling, Rain was about to apologize when a quiet voice caught her attention.

"She…"

An ice-blue gaze bore into Quinn, as if gently pushing her to continue. She knew that if she wanted Quinn to continue to trust in her and be open with her, she had to push in more subtle ways, rather than be too forward with it and know when to leave things be.

"She…became one of the most important people in my life. Rachel pretty much helped to shape who I am today."

Rain pushed herself onto her elbows, looking directly at Quinn with wide eyes. She felt that there was something more to it, but didn't push.

"Wow. She must really be something."

"Yeah, she is. The shining star out of all of us…Even when I hated her, I believed that."

Quinn heard an intrigued hum from her roommate's end of the room. She didn't have a chance to question it because suddenly, she felt all the energy of the day drain out of her body. Her eyes grew heavy and a yawn escaped her lips. A soft, faded chuckle reached her ears and Rain's voice gained her attention for a brief moment.

"I hope I get to meet her someday. Anyway, sleep well, Quinn."

And with that, Quinn drifted off.

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**A/N****: And Rachel is mentioned! 8D Rachel will actually show up in the next chapter. I'm still writing as I go, but I have a basic skeleton of where I want this to go.**

**Anyway, read. Review. Anything is appreciated. **

**Also, thanks for all the follows! It's really a big boost to my ego. :3**


	3. Affairs and New Friends

**A/N: Hey guys! So..I lied when I said that Rachel was gonna be in this chapter. I had intended to add the "Naked" episode in this chapter but everything leading up to that ended up a lot longer than I thought. So, Rachel will be in the next chapter for sure! I guarantee it.**

**Also, because I had intended for Quinn to be in New York for this chapter, it's in her POV. As will the next chapter.**

**Any mistakes I make, I apologize for. I kept forgetting to keep it in Quinn's POV.**

**Disclaimer****:****I don't own Glee or its characters. I do own Rainier and the two new OCs that make their appearance.**

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First day of classes were always a drag in high school. It was no different here in college. The first half hour of class was always going to be the syllabus and as always, I didn't pay attention. Especially in my Psychology II class, since I'm adamantly trying to avoid catching my professor/lover's eye. I know he knows I'm there in the lecture hall, even though I'm in the back row. He's been trying to do things to get my attention. I really need to end that soon.

Right at the moment when I'm about to tear my hair out, I feel something land on my leg. Looking down, there was a little folded note there on my lap. I couldn't help but smirk and look over at my friend next to me. Rain was looking at the professor, as if she was paying attention. It would've been really convincing if not for the grin on her face.

"Really?" I whispered. I stopped passing notes in sophomore year after I got pregnant. Finn passing notes to me hadn't helped my hormone-fueled mood swings.

In reply, Rain just sent a playful side-glare my way and shushed me. With a roll of my eyes, I just open up the note and read it.

_Ok, seriously. The professor is annoying the shit out of me. That "shifty eye to look at you" thing makes me want to punch him._

I managed to keep a snort from echoing in the lecture hall. Next to me, a quiet snicker could be heard, so I punched the source. Satisfied with the soft grunt of pain and following whimper, I started to write my note and passed it over.

**Well…I did kind of have an affair with him, though I haven't talked to the man in a month.**

A sputter caught my attention and I looked over at Rain to see wide, bugged-out eyes staring back at me. I just shrugged and took the paper from her again.

**I told you I was having trouble adjusting.**

_That doesn't mean you go sleeping with a professor!_

**I know, I know. I've been known to do crazy things.**

_I feel like that's an understatement._

That earned her a kick to her calf. Before we knew it, class had ended and we were up and walking towards the door. Well, Rain was limping, which made me feel accomplished. Even after the accident, I still had power in my legs.

That feeling of satisfaction didn't last. In fact, it pretty much dive bombed when the professor said my name and asked to talk to me. My entire body stiffened and I'm sure Rain had sensed it because she was immediately at my side. I looked up at her before looking down towards the man I slept with a few times. He was looking up at me expectantly. I felt a nudge and turned my attention to Rain again.

"Just get it over with," she whispered into my ear. "I'll wait for you right here."

Her stance was rigid, as if she was poised to strike at any moment. She stepped back and leaned against the door, her eyes never leaving me as I made my way to the professor, footsteps echoing in the mostly empty room.

"Miss Fabray. It's been a while. Good to see you back in my class."

I'm actually glad to have been raised to be the perfect daughter with the perfect image because right now, I just want to puke at the sight of my thirty-five year old professor practically undressing me with his eyes.

"Well, I thought the course would help me with my acting, in case I was casted to play a mentally unstable person."

"That's smart of you. You know, we could continue our…private tutoring sessions." He reached up to caress my arm, but I backed up out of his reach.

"That's unnecessary. I have someone I can study with." I chanced a glance up at Rain, who was about ready to pounce into action. Unfortunately, the only male in the room followed my gaze and misinterpreted my words.

"I see. I understand girls your age wanting to experiment, but it's only a phase."

My eyes widened at the statement and I could practically feel the murderous aura coming from my friend.

"No, you don't understand, Dr. Hodin. I believe it's in my best interest if we stop seeing each other. You've yet to divorce your wife and I have school to concentrate on. I can't have these distractions anymore."

He rose up, slow and intimidating and glowered down at me. Normally, I wouldn't have been affected by this, but the motion had reminded me of my father, causing me to freeze on the spot.

"I will make your life a living hell if yo-"

His words were cut off by a sudden blur separating me from him. It was so quick that it took me a second to realize that it was Rain.

"You so much as think about making her life hell in this class just because she broke if off with you and I will make your life walk through the entire seven circles of hell, barefoot, with a sack of boulders on its back."

That was one of the more interesting threats I've heard. I managed to back up a few steps, giving Rain and Dr. Hodin more space as they duked it out.

"You can't do that to me. I'm your professor. I have superiority over you!"

I couldn't see it, but with our professor sudden change in demeanor after what he said, Rain must be giving him some sort of look. I'd bet money that it's the same look I used back in McKinley.

"You may have superiority here in the classroom, but out in the real world, you don't. You seem to have forgotten that I know your lovely wife."

Dr. Hodin's eyes widened and he actually gulped. I was surprised myself. Was this a bluff or did she actually know his wife?

"You don't. You're bluffing."

"Oh really? Because if you were paying any attention to your roster, you would've recognized my name. It's not very common. And I'm sure Auntie Devon would be more than happy to help me make your life miserable."

Hodin backed up and conceded. He collapsed into his chair, sending Rain the evilest of glares.

"If you try to pull our grades down, or unfairly, I'll be sure to let Auntie Devon, and the dean, know."

She made her way towards me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, giving me a smirk before turning back to our professor.

"Have a good day, professor." And we walked out.

That was our last class for the day, and we were hungry. So, since we were together anyway, we decided to each lunch at our usual café and get to know each other more. God knows I had questions.

Once we sat down and ordered our food, I shot out my first question.

"How do you know Dr. Hodin's wife?" Rain just blinked at me, shocked at the sudden question.

"Um…Quickest way to sum it up is the Asian networking system."

"What?" I'm pretty sure my eyebrows are right up to my hairline. I remembered something about this a couple years back when Rachel sent that Sunshine girl to a crack house, but I never really gave it much thought.

"Ok, long version then. She and my adopted mom are friends by association. I met Auntie Devon my first year at Asian Summer Camp and after that she's been a decent part of my life, hence why I call her auntie."

"Did you know that Dr. Hodin was her husband?"

"Yeah. Part of the reason I decided on Yale. She's had speculations about Hodin's infidelity, but never any concrete proof. I went here to see if I could try and help her. Lo and behold, he had an affair with my roommate."

"You're not going to tell her it was me, are you?"

"I am," Rain replied with a nod. I felt my heart drop to the ground. That is, until she spoke up again. "However, I will plead your case. I promised my auntie that I would tell her everything, but I won't push you under the bus like that."

All I could do was stare at her as if she grew another head. The girl across from me just chuckled and leaned her elbows onto the table.

"Quinn. You're my friend. And I promised that I'd take care of you. Auntie Devon will have to go through me to get to you and I have no intention of letting her pass."

A small smile spread on my lips and I bowed my head. It had been a while since I was able to have someone I could fully trust by my side. It was strange, but nice. My eyes trailed back up to Rain, meeting her soft smile. I muttered a soft 'thank you' just as our food arrived.

Halfway through our meal, I asked my roommate what she had planned for the rest of the day.

"That only thing I have planned is running with my friends. Would you like to join? You can finally interact with someone other than me."

"Getting tired of me already, Shinziko?" I couldn't help but pull that card out. It was too easy.

"You know me so well, Fabray. There's only so much crazy I can handle." That resulted in another kick under the table.

"Ow! Jeez. So violent! I might have to report you for domestic abuse." Another kick.

"Stop that! I won't be able to run if you keep kicking me like that."

I tried to kick her again, but she anticipated it and avoided the attack. She stuck her tongue out at me, which I promptly returned before we finished our lunch and headed out.

-x-o-x-o-x-

"So where are we meeting them?"

We had been walking for about ten minutes and ended up in an area that I hadn't been before. If I didn't trust Rain, I would've thought she was bringing me out here to kill me.

"It's an area that we like to call 'The Playground.'"

"'The Playground?' Really?" My eyebrow shot up as I equipped my signature look. My companion just laughed and nodded.

"Well, we play a lot there. You'll see. Here it is right now."

We ended up at what looked like an abandoned skate park. There were a lot of makeshift walls and railings that didn't look like they belonged there, which confused me.

"There you are!"

"'Bout time, mate!"

We turned our heads to the source of the voices and what I saw amazed me.

Two people, running towards us and vaulting over the obstacles in their path like it was nothing. All I could do was gape in awe. Rain just leaned towards my ear with a smile.

"Free running. That's what we do."

She straightened up and walked towards the other two as they neared us. I lingered back as the trio greeted each other. Suddenly, the blonde one noticed me and nudged Rain.

"'Ey. Who's the beauty?"

Rain beckoned be over and put her arm around my shoulder.

"This is my roommate, Quinn. She'll be joining us today."

I felt a squeeze of my shoulder and looked up at Rain. She pointed towards her friends as she introduced them to me.

"This is Henrietta Lewis. Just call them Henri."

"Them?" That was something new to hear. This time, Henri piped up.

"I consider myself of the non-binary gender. That's why I prefer the use of gender neutral words."

I just nodded and took in the person in front of me.

Henri was tall, probably as tall as Kurt if I had to compare anyone. She…er…they had short, blonde hair, with bangs swept to the side. They definitely had the androgynous look down. And their eyes were such a light brown that they were almost amber in color. There was a teardrop tattoo near her eye and I couldn't help but ask, "You're a fan of 'Crybaby?'"

Henri grinned widely, their eyes sparkling in excitement. "You bet I am! That movie was ace!" They were about to open their mouth to start on a rant, only to be stopped by the other person with them.

"Oh please don't get them started on 'Crybaby.' You'll never hear the end of it."

We all laughed until Rain placed a hand on the shortest girl's head.

"This is Natalie Nguyen. Nat for short."

Nat bowed slightly and shot me a polite smile. It was funny to see the stark contrast to Henri. Henri was a ball of energy, while Nat had an air of indifference. Where Henri was tall, Natalie was short. She may have been shorter than even Rachel, which was saying something. She also had long hair, currently tied back in a low ponytail. What caught my attention, though, were her eyes. They were two different colors. I may have been staring a little too long, because she looked away, trying to hide a laugh.

"Heterochromia iridum. It runs in the family on my mother's side. My oldest brother has it too."

I bowed my head in embarrassment and muttered a soft apology, which Nat waved off.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway…" The short girl bounced on her feet, warming herself up. "Are you running with us?"

"I've never been free running before. Actually, I haven't been running at all after my accident."

Henri stepped up to the side that Rain wasn't occupying and placed their arm around my shoulders, right on top of Rain's.

"We can help with that. Train you up. You'll be running like a brumby before you know it."

I just nodded, having no idea what a brumby was. Rain let out a chortle before leading me over to a wall that held a stereo system.

"We can start working on that tomorrow morning. Your back isn't gonna get any stronger if you don't work on it. We'll start slow, jogging every morning before classes, ok?"

The grateful smile that took its place on my face was all the answer that she needed. She patted the short wall, gesturing me to take a seat next to the stereo system.

"Now, you can see what your goal is gonna be. When I let you know, just press play." She trotted off with a wink. My eyes followed her, and I couldn't help the words that came out of my mouth.

"You know, if I knew you in high school, I probably would've been a lot better off."

It was sudden and quiet. I had intended it to really be more for myself, but Rain must've heard it because she stopped walking and looked back at me. She turned around and opened her arms.

"You got me now. And you'll be better off than if you would be alone."

Henri and Nat walked up behind her, smiling at me. I couldn't help but think of Brittany and Santana. These three reminded her of the Unholy Trinity.

"And you got us now too."

"Best mates always have each other's backs."

I really wish that I had met these three before, when school started. I wish I hadn't been a bitch to Rain in the beginning. The chance to have a normal college experience would've been lost if I didn't break down like I did. Even though it was a moment of weakness, I'm glad it happened.

Rain pointed to me, and smiled.

"Now, press play and watch us work."

All three of them turned around and put their hands together, as if in prayer, and stood right at the edge of the pool. It was something interesting, and it intrigued me to no end. So, I pressed play and watched.

Suddenly, the lyrics played out. As it did, the trio before me separated their hands and held them out, palms up.

_Careless, careless_

_Shoot anonymous, anonymous_

_Heartless, mindless_

_No one cares about me_

When the lyrics started to come up in a different language, I barely registered it. The runners had tipped forward, falling into the empty pool, only to start running at the last moment. Right then, I was mesmerized, watching all of the movements that I could. It was as if they were singing with their movements, matching each turn and vault with the song. There was only one thought that rose in my mind.

How the hell was I going to be able to do what they do?

* * *

**A/N****: Ok. I'm workin' on the next chapter right now. Things are kind of flowing out right now, so it's kind of fun. I still have no idea how long I want this story to be, but I'll be more than happy to keep goin' for as long as you'll have me.**

**Read. Review. Criticize constructively. Also, if you guys have any input of what y'all wanna see, just let me know and I'll add it in.**

**Like I said, Rachel will be in the next chapter. Without a doubt.**


	4. Naked

**A/N****: When was the last time I updated? Two days ago? Is that right? Jesus. That's insane. I'm shelling this story out like mad. ANYWAY, as promised, Rachel is in this chapter. I took the scenes from "Naked" and just dumped them here. XD It was actually kind of fun. As usual! I apologize for any mistakes that happen to be in here.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters. I do, however, own Rainier Shinziko, Henri Lewis, and Nat Nguyen.**

* * *

"Quinn? Quiiinnnn~"

I heard it. I really did. But I was doing my damn best to ignore it. Two weeks ago, I started jogging in the mornings with my roommate. The first day went horrible. Rain had to carry me back because my back was hurting so badly.

"I told you not to overdo it."

Even as she scolded me, I knew that I had to find out my limit. When I had danced for Nationals last year, that drive to perform kept me going. But afterwards, I pretty much had to be in my wheelchair again. The strain on my back was killer. But it's been a while since I've done something like that, so I needed to know where I stood.

Obviously, I took it a bit easier the next few days, building up my stamina. It was nice, going easy for once. Hell, it was cake compared to the torture that was Sue Sylvester. But at least I know I'm not going to quit so easily because of her.

Today, however, I just didn't want to get up. It was colder than it had been the past few days and I just wanted to savor the warmth of my covers. Of course, Rain wasn't going to let that happen. She ripped the covers from me and threw me over her shoulder. I yelped and flailed, but it didn't stop her.

"The first month is crucial in establishing a routine, Quinn. You can have breaks once it's been established."

She set me down onto the cold, hardwood floor in front of my closet. I just pouted.

"But Rain…It's cold and my back hurts already."

Patting my head, she attempts to fix my unruly bed-head.

"Once you start running, you'll warm up and your back won't hurt too much." She replied with a shake of her head.

"C'mon. It's supposed to snow today, so we need to get moving. Go on, get changed. Henri and Nat are waiting."

Grumbling all the while, I changed into my running clothes and met with the other three. Halfway through the run, my phone began to ring. It was odd. The only person who would call me nowadays was Rain. I slowed to a stop and took out my phone. The other three stopped a little after I did and looked at me with questioning eyes. Looking down at my phone, I was surprise to see Kurt's name flash up at me. Confused, I answered the call.

"Kurt?"

_"Quinn! I need your assistance."_

"What for? It's been a while since we've actually talked."

_"It's Rachel."_ My heart dropped. Questions flew through my mind.

"What happened? Is she ok?" Rain walked up to my side, concern etched on her face.

_"Rachel is…physically fine. I'm afraid she's losing herself." _I could hear the worry in Kurt's voice.

_"It may be partially my fault, because I was the one who pushed for a makeover, but now I fear that she's spiraling too far down. You were always the one who was able to reel her in, so I do hope that you can make your way here and talk to her."_

I agreed immediately. We all knew that Rachel was going to be a star and she was going to do everything in her power to help Rachel down the right path, or else her name wasn't Lucy Quinn Fabray.

"Kurt, what's going on specifically?" A moment of silence before Kurt answered

_"She's been chosen to be a part of a senior student's film. However, the part involves her to be topless."_

"What? There's no way Rachel would agree to that!" Not the Rachel we know and love.

_"Well she did. I have her boyfriend's ass print on my vintage thrift store chair."_

"Ah…what?" I had to be hearing things.

_"Nevermind. Is there anything else you need?"_

"Yeah. As much as I hate to say it, call Santana. She'll be able to drive the point through Rachel's thick skull." After the slapping exchange back in Lima, I didn't bother talking to the Latina, but she's perfect for situations like these that call for immediate action.

_"Will do. When can I expect you? As soon as possible would be best."_

"Give me tomorrow to let myself get ready to head out. I'll be there the day after."

_"Perfect. I'll tell Santana the same. Thank you so much, Quinn!"_

"See you soon, Kurt."

I hung up the phone and looked up to see Rain, Henri, and Nat looking right back at me, concern in their eyes. With a sigh, I told them the situation and that I had to be in New York to help out Rachel. They nodded, but I knew that Rain was going to ask me a few questions in private. It was written on her face. After a moment she took a look at her watch.

"Class will be starting soon. We should get back and wash up. See you two later." She nodded to the other two, who had their hands in their pockets and bouncing up and down to warm up. I was starting to feel it too. We said our goodbyes and started to jog back to our respective dorms.

Later that night, while Rain and I were having dinner in our room, the expected questions came up.

"So, who are you helping? Is it your friend, Rachel?" I nodded, mentally making a list of things I needed to do tomorrow so I don't fall behind in class.

"Back in high school, we were always kind of challenging each other. So I guess it kind of makes sense that I would be the one Kurt called to ask for help. In all actuality, I'm considered her best friend. Well…best female friend."

Rain just nodded. I could practically hear the gears in her head as she thought.

"How long will you be gone for, do you think?"

"Probably for a couple of days." She nodded again.

"I'll be sure take notes in class so you can see them later. I guess you can take a break from running while you're in NYC, but expect to jump right back into it when you get back."

I smiled and nodded. Rain had to be the best thing to have happened to me in college. I have no idea what I'd do without her.

-x-o-x-o-x-

Rain dropped me off at the train station and helped with my bag. Finally, I have a reason to use my Metro pass. I didn't want to visit Rachel knowing that my college life was in shambles, but now that things are looking up for me, I feel a little better about seeing her.

Before heading in, I turned to my roommate and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks for dropping me off. I'll see you when I get back."

She returned the hug, lifting me off of the ground for a second.

"I'll be here to pick you up. Stay safe, alright? And my phone's always on me if you need me."

I laughed. Who knew that a friend I made just a month ago would worry about me so much? It was a nice change though. I appreciated it.

We parted ways and I hopped on the train. This was going to be an interesting trip, I could feel it.

Hopping out of the train at Grand Central Station was a little surreal. The hustle and bustle of the city was something I missed. After a moment of reminiscing about the last time I was in New York, I rushed out of the building to hail a cab and make my way to Kurt and Rachel's apartment. Kurt wasn't able to pick me up for fear of Rachel finding out about me and Santana, so he just gave me their address.

When I arrived, Kurt welcomed me with open arms.

"It's been such a long time, Quinn. I actually missed your regal aura." I just shook my head at his words.

"Thanks, Kurt. I missed you too. Is Santana here yet?" He shook his head.

"No, but she should be here soon." Right at that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"Speak of the devil," Kurt said as she opened the door for the Latina. When she strode in, we locked gazes and a silent conversation began. After a moment, we both nodded and greeted each other. It was a normal thing for us.

"Alright, Lady Hummel. What's the plan?" Right to the point. That was Santana for you.

"Well, Rachel will be home soon. I will be leaving so you girls can have the time to talk to her privately without my influence. I briefed you earlier about the situation, so I hope you can change her mind."

"We'll try, Kurt."

With a thankful grin, he walked out of the loft, leaving the two of us alone.

While waiting, Santana and I discussed strategy for a bit before veering off and wondering about what stores we were going to shop at once we got the time. Just then, we heard a key being inserted into the door and the lock turning. I could hear Rachel's voice from the other side.

"Kurt. The hipster from downstairs with the curly-q mustache wants to borrow your Russian hat"

The door swung open, revealing a very different looking Rachel than me and Santana remembered. We both were surprised to see how much she changed, but we hid it well. Rachel, on the other hand, was over the moon when she saw us. She had the biggest smile on her face and I had to admit, I missed seeing it.

"OH MY GOD!" Her eyes lingered on me before turning to look at Santana. "What are you doing here?"

I looked over to my companion as she replied to Rachel.

"Lady Hummel called, begging us to do an emergency intervention." Confusion washed over Rachel's face.

"On who?" This time, I was the one who answered.

"You…"

We took a moment for Rachel to get comfortable and settle in. She took her spot in an armchair while Santana and I took our seats on the love seat right across from her. We all looked at each other in silence before Rachel piped up.

"So let me get this straight...You guys came all the way to New York just to talk to me because Kurt called you?

"We're also here to shop." While that wasn't my initial intention, Santana did have a point. Shopping in New York was so much fun.

I couldn't help the next words that came out of my mouth, though. I was still a little pissed at Santana for slapping me.

"And we're here to apologize to Quinn for slapping her in the face very, very hard." I sent a glare towards the girl next to me, but it didn't faze her.

"In theory," was her retort. "We'll just see if that happens." It was the best I was going to get from her. I could only smile, because I really missed this, and it seemed like Rachel did too because there was a grin on her face as well. However, it fell once Santana jumped right back onto the reason why we were here.

"Rachel, you cannot do a nude scene."

"It's not a nude scene!" Rachel, as usual, was quick to explain herself. "It's just a topless scene."

Santana held back a scoff. "Same thing. Topless is as nude as anyone is ever gonna want to see you."

Before Santana could kill Rachel's self-esteem, I decided to chime in.

"Let's say you decide to do it. Think about the Two-Two-Two rule. In two weeks, how are you gonna feel about the nude scene?"

Before Rachel could reply, Santana did it for her.

"You'll probably feel pretty great." Rachel nodded her affirmative before Santana continued on in her own style.

"You get to feel all the nice, cool breeze on them 'skeeter bites. You'll feel refreshed even."

I managed to cut the Latina off. "Then, how are you gonna feel about it two months from now?"

Rachel sat there, stumbling on an answer. "I don't know. Nervous? Worried it may not even be good?"

"Rachel, it's a student film. It's not gonna be good." I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes at Santana. So, I just opted to ignore her for the moment.

"And two years from now? How are you gonna feel about it then?"

Rachel, however, did roll her eyes at my next question and let out a sigh.

"Guilty. Just…hoping my kids will never see it online." I nodded, having made my point.

"Oh, they'll see it," Santana said. "And they will never be the same."

I could tell that Rachel was getting a little frustrated.

"Ok, wh- Why am I even taking advice from you? Didn't you have a sex tape that leaked online?"

"Yes, I did. A sex tape that follows me around to this very day. Look my name up on the internet, right now."

I watched as Rachel reached for her phone and did as Santana told her to do. She read out the first link that she was able to find.

"Santana Lopez: nude lez boobies sex tape, Mexican or Dominican, question mark…"

"Booyah. That will exist forever."

Rachel wasn't going to give up.

"Santana, some women find it empowering to be naked on film an-"

"Yeah, but not in some student film that is probably about somebody's grandmother with Alzheimer's."

By the look on Rachel's face, Santana probably hit the nail right on the head with that one. I figured that it was about time to reel it in and wrap things up. It was up to our little diva now.

"Look…We care about you." 'Some more so than others,' I wanted to add. That slight pause allowed Santana to add in her own statement.

"And for once, Rachel, we have your best interest at heart." This was only true for her since I've had Rachel's best interest at heart since junior year. I looked right into Rachel's eyes, making sure she knew that I was serious about this.

"Please, don't do it."

-x-o-x-o-x-

That night, Santana and I laid out on the couches. She claimed the sofa and I got the loveseat. I couldn't sleep, worrying about Rachel and what decision she was going to make. My former second-in-command was snoring away, so I reached for my phone and texted the only other person I could talk to.

_QF: You still up?_

I barely had to wait a minute before I got a reply.

_RS: As always. What's up? Are you ok?_

I smiled as I read her message. She was always worrying about me.

_QF: I'm fine. Just can't sleep. Worried about Rach's decision._

_RS: Well, you've talked to her, right? I'm sure she'll know what to do._

_QF: I wonder sometimes. She doesn't have the best track record for following my advice._

_RS: Really? How do?_

_RS: ao*_

_RS: Fuckin' Christ. SO!***_

I had to stifle a laugh so I wouldn't wake anyone. Making sure everyone was still asleep, I began to text once more.

_QF: Well, The first time I remember giving her advice, it was about losing her virginity to Finn. I told her to wait, she did it anyway. _

_QF: Then getting married. Told her not to, but she almost did anyway. I think the only thing that stopped that was my accident._

_RS: And you were on your way to the wedding, right?_

_QF: Yup. Even though I disapproved, if it made her happy, then I was going to support her._

_RS: Wa-psh~_

_QF: Shut up! I'm gonna hit you when I get back!_

_RS: Eep. I'm feelin' that famous death glare of yours from here._

_QF: Good! :P_

_RS: Haha. Anyway, get some rest, lady. Just trust Rachel to do the right thing for her. _

_RS: If she's as stubborn about her dreams as you say, then she's already gone over what you told her a hundred times already._

_QF: I hope you're right. Good night, R._

_RS: G'night, Q._

The next morning, I was woken up by Santana pushing me off of the couch and telling me to get up so we could go shopping. I noticed that Rachel and Kurt were both gone, and I was surprised that I didn't wake up to Rachel's workout routine that Santana was complaining about.

The morning was a complete blur. I didn't register anything until we hit our first store and was so glad that I managed to dress myself in a proper outfit. After that, it was a whirlwind of shopping before we ended up back at the loft, then to NYADA to wait for Rachel.

We had agreed to wait in the auditorium for the tiny girl. Santana and I were talking aimlessly when the subject of performing on stage came up.

"I miss it," I started to say. "It's been a while. I even miss doing those random performances over at McKinley."

"Yeah. We came a long way from spying for Coach Sylvester." I nodded in agreement.

It was silent for a moment as we reminisced when we heard a very familiar voice approaching the auditorium. Santana and I smiled at each other and turned around in time to see Rachel bound down the stairs, singing "Love Song" at the top of her lungs. Santana was the first to join in, as I waited, reveling in the voices that I've missed so much. After a while, I couldn't help it. I joined in during the chorus, and amazingly enough, I got my own solos too.

After the performance, we closed in for a group hug. If Rachel wasn't feeling guilty, then she didn't do the scene.

"Thank you guys so much. Just like my dads say. You can't make new old friend."

"No regrets?" I asked. I had to know for sure.

"None," was her quick answer. "But do you guys have to go? Can you stay a little longer? 'Cause I would love to buy you dinner."

"I'm in." It was free food after all. And I wasn't going to give up a chance to spend some more time with my best friends.

"Sure." I'm sure Santana was feeling the same thing.

"Good!" Rachel whirled around and practically skipped up the stairs as we followed behind.

"I'm in no rush to get back to Kentucky," I managed to catch Santana say. Rachel was too far ahead to hear. "I think I can get used to it here in New York. It's more my speed."

A confused look spread across my face and I wondered what was going through my best friend's head.

Dinner was very enjoyable. It wasn't often that we got to sit around and just chat and catch up. Then, Santana asked a question I hadn't expected.

"So, who were you talkin' to last night?" I blinked at her a few times, confused.

"What?"

"Don't think I didn't hear you giggling last night while you were texting. Who is it?" Rachel looked back and forth between us. I was just highly amused because I knew who Santana was thinking about.

"I was talking to my roommate, Rain."

"Rain? What kind of hippie-ass name is that?" I let out a sigh and shook my head.

"Her name is Rainier. Rain is her nickname."

"What's her major?" Rachel piped in this time.

"Playwriting. She does a lot in the other arts as well."

"Sounds like someone I'd like to meet." Rachel said as she leaned back on her chair.

"How do we know she's real?"

"Santana!" That little outburst caused some people to turn and look at us, making Rachel sink into her chair in embarrassment.

I just laughed and took out my phone, looking through my photos. I brought one up of us together that she took with my phone and showed it to the two of them. Santana let out a low whistle, which I assumed was out of approval. Rachel had this weird look in her eyes that I couldn't pin down, but soon enough, it was replaced by a look of approval as well, though considerably less hungry than Santana's was.

"Girl, if you ain't tappin' that, I'm goin' to."

"Down, Santana. As far as I've witnessed, she's not easy to bed."

"Speaking from experience, Fabray?"

"Possibly. Maybe I was able to do something you'll never get to do." I couldn't help but smirk. Hanging out with my Yale friends has upped my teasing skills and it gave me the ability to at least keep up with Santana's quips.

"Ooooh~ Q still got some bite in her. Me gusta." Thank God Santana left it at that. I wasn't sure if I was able to keep going. And at least Rachel was amused.

The rest of the night was a lot less tame, but it did involve staying up late and talking about Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury's upcoming wedding. Before I knew it, I was on the train back to New Haven. Rachel promised that after the wedding, she was going to visit. I just hope that nothing was going to happen that would jeopardize that.

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**A/N****: Can you guys guess when the next chapter will take place? Anyone? Hm? The next chapter will be in Rain's POV, so look forward to that.**

**Read. Review. Criticize constructively. Anything y'all wanna see, go ahead and say 'em. I'm always lookin' for help with my stories.**

**Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews so far. You guys are awesome! 3**


	5. I Do (Not)

**A/N****: GAH! This chapter just kept getting longer. Anyway, here you go! This is in Rain's POV, so the narration is very different. At least to me. Please enjoy! As usual, I apologize for any mistakes I made.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters. I use them for the sake of entertaining you. I do own Rain, Henri, and Nat.**

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(Rain's POV)

If it had been anyone else, I would have objected to an eleven-hour road trip. I wouldn't even think about it. But apparently, the only exception to that rule was Quinn Fabray. I had to keep my promise and take care of her after all, even if it was just because of my own moral code. It still didn't stop me from being peeved.

Well, it could be from the lack of sleep. You see, I drove the majority of the way to Lima, Ohio. Quinn managed a few hours, until a jackass swerved too close to us on the interstate and nearly gave the poor girl a heart attack. We had to stop while I calmed my friend from her panic attack in the middle of Pennsylvania. Needless to say, I drove the rest of the way.

We had hit the town limits a little bit ago, and now Quinn's directing me to her house. It's weird being in a small town when you've lived in the city for the majority of your life. Everything's quieter and more subdue than you're used to. But Quinn assures me that there was just as much drama and there would be in the big city.

A few more turns and we reached our destination. I stepped out of my Eclipse and took in the sight. The Fabray house was definitely one of the bigger ones in the area. Quinn did mention something about getting the house when her parents divorced.

As Quinn got out of the car, I popped the trunk and circled around to grab both our bags and our outfits for the wedding. Her former teacher and guidance counselor's wedding was the reason we were here. Quinn had asked if I would be her "date" for the wedding and I didn't have the heart to refuse.

We argued for a good while because I grabbed all the bags and refused to let Quinn carry them. As we made our way to the front door, we were greeted by her mother. Even though I wasn't going out with Quinn, I still felt like my heart was about to give out. I suppose meeting one's parents is a big step in any kind of relationship.

"Quinnie!" Once I heard that, all the anxiety flowed right out of my body. All that energy went into trying to keep from bursting out in laughter. I had turned my head to try and hide my efforts, but I could still feel Quinn's famous death glare burning holes into my head as she hugged her mother.

"Welcome home, dear. And this is your roommate?" I took that as my cue to collect myself as to make a good first impression.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Rainier Shinziko. It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Fabray." I bowed, seeing as both of my hands were occupied with things.

"No need to be formal, dear. You can just call me Judy." She pulled me into a hug, which threw me off completely.

"And thank you for taking care of Quinn at New Haven. I can tell she's much happier than the last time she was home." Judy looked at her daughter and cupped her face before kissing her forehead. I smiled at the sight.

"It's no big deal, ma'am. I'm only being a good roommate, is all."

"Well, never the less, thank you. Now then, let's get you both inside. You must be exhausted."

If I thought the outside of the house looked great, the interior blew my mind. Whoever did the interior designing certainly knew what they were doing.

"Your home is beautiful, Judy." I couldn't help but comment as we walked up the stairs. Pictures of Quinn during high school adorned the walls, and I couldn't help but look back at said girl and grin. She just simply shrugged with a content smile on her face.

"Thank you. It was much too drab with Quinn's father around, so I decided to put a woman's touch when he left." We stopped in front of a room. Across from it was a door that had Quinn's name on it. When I pointed it out to her, she just shrugged again and pointed to her mom. "This is the guest room. It'll be your room for whenever you come to visit. As you can see, Quinn's room is across the hall. The restroom is just down the hall to your left. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

I stepped into the room and set the bags down before looking around. It was a modest area, but that was to be expected for a guest room. I couldn't complain, so I thanked the elder Fabray and handed the younger one her things before settling myself.

After a few moments of getting use to my surroundings, I caught Quinn standing at the doorway. I grinned and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Nice place you got here, 'Quinnie.'"

"Don't you dare start using that nickname. That's reserved for my mom and occasionally Santana. Otherwise, I'll start using yours, 'Rainy.'"

I could only groan. Damn Henri for using that nickname around Quinn.

"Fine, fine. I yield." I held my hands up in surrender. Quinn's smug look was a new one for me. It may have been the fact that she was in her element now. It was going to be interesting seeing this side of Quinn.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Are you tired?" In response, I just flopped on the bed causing my friend to laugh. We had woken up at six in the morning and left at seven. Now, it's seven in the evening and I was dead tired. But I was willing to at least wait to eat first before passing out. The wedding was tomorrow and I didn't need my sleep schedule to be any more messed up than it usually was.

"Quinn! Rain! Dinner's ready!"

-x-o-x-o-x-

I let out a yawn. Despite allowing myself a little time to sleep in, I still ended up waiting for Quinn to get ready. She was putting on the finishing touches on her makeup, so I just laid on her bed.

I had long since been ready, donning a royal purple dress shirt under a vest with black slacks. I was going to wear a white tie but I couldn't find it when we were packing. I do recall letting Nat's brother borrow it, so he may still have it in his possession. So, I decided on my yellow tie instead.

Quinn had on this pink and orange dress with a blazer that, I swear, only she could pull off. Her hair was down with her bangs pinned back. I noticed that her hair had grown considerably since I first met her when school started.

"Y'know, I think you should cut your hair." Quinn glanced my way as she began to pack her clutch.

"Oh? Why? You don't like my hair now?"

"It's not that," I said as I sat up, grabbing my own blazer and putting it on as we made our way downstairs. "You look pretty either way. I just think the shorter hair suits you better."

She responds with a hum as we both bid Judy goodbye. I grabbed my trilby from the coat rack, and headed towards my car. Soon enough, we made it to the church.

Quinn was out of my car before I could turn the engine off and ran up towards the church entrance, greeting an African-American girl. Making sure my car was locked, I made my way towards the duo, lingering back as to not interrupt their little reunion. I watched as she greeted two other boys and then a few more, including a Latina in red dress who I pegged to be Santana

I stood back, forgotten for the moment until Quinn greeted a familiar Asian.

"Mike? Mike Chang?"

Having made my presence known, I felt everyone's eyes fall on me. It was a little daunting until Mike recognized me.

"Rain! Dude, it's been forever!" We walked towards each other and hugged. The two of us had met during Asian Summer Camp and hung out each year afterwards until two years ago when I opted to go on a family trip.

"How are you, _gege_? Still dancing?"

"Always dancing! What are you doing here?"

I was about to answer when Quinn piped up from behind Mike.

"She's with me. We're roommates at Yale."

"Whoa, small world." I nodded before being dragged away to be formally introduced to Quinn's other friends.

Mercedes Jones was the first person I was introduced to. From what I remembered Quinn telling me, she took the blonde in when she was pregnant and her parents had kicked her out of her home. But when all that had ended, Quinn had thrown it all towards the back of her mind when she tried to regain her place at the top of the high school food chain. It was good to see that they were still on good terms despite that.

Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson were the next ones to come up, as they were Mercedes's dates for the wedding. They had been together in high school, but had broken up because Blaine had cheated on Kurt. But from what I could see right in front of me, they seemed pretty cozy together.

After them, I was introduced to Noah Puckerman, or Puck as he preferred. He was Quinn's baby's father and resident bad boy of McKinley. I registered the fact that he was trying to flirt with me, but I couldn't help staring and wondering what the hell was on his head.

Last to be introduced, but not least, was Santana Lopez. This girl was definitely a looker. It's no wonder that she was one of the more sought after girls in high school. I'm sure being Quinn's second-in-command helped with her popularity. Even despite their odd relationship, Quinn considered the Latina her best friend, so I supposed that I had to play nice. The way she was looking at me wasn't helping to keep bad thoughts away though.

After the introductions, I remained outside with Mike, catching up as Quinn went inside with Santana. Kurt and Blaine had disappeared and Mercedes, looking put-off at the loss of her dates, made her way into the church as well. There were a few other people I recognized from Quinn's pictures and Mike filled me in on who was who. I was entirely confused that the groom's best man was his former student when I saw him. I just gave Mike an incredulous look, which he returned with a shrug. After a few more moments, we made our way inside.

Once we parted ways, I craned my neck to search for my friend. I found her sitting next to Santana and was about to make my way down the aisle towards her pew when I noticed an older man leering at her. Seeing this, I changed course and went to his side of the pew. I cleared my throat to get his attention and made my way towards Quinn when he leaned back to allow me to pass. I nudge Quinn to make her move so I could sit between her and the lady next to her. Once settled, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and grinned at the lecher, effectively repelling him from the blonde.

"I'm lucky I have Rain here to keep the pigs away from me." My eyebrow rose and I looked at Quinn, silently questioning what she was talking to Santana about. She just shrugged and settled closer into me, playing the part I had created for her just seconds ago. Santana just eyed Quinn curiously before facing forward as the ceremony was about to begin.

"Al Roker's disgusting, by the way."

"Whatever."

We sat and watched as Mercedes opened the show with a brilliant number. I was amazed at the power in her voice. There was no doubt in my mind that this girl was going to become the next Jennifer Hudson or even Beyoncé. She closed her note, and the pianist poised herself to start playing the "Wedding March." The door opened, and complete silence filled the room.

I felt the awkwardness in the air and leaned down to Quinn's ear to quietly ask, "Uh, Quinn? What's going on?"

Her eyes were glued onto the woman at the other end of the church. She just shook her head in disbelief before dropping her head into her hands.

"That's not Ms. Pillsbury."

"Then who…" I was more than confused.

"That's Coach Sylvester." My eyes bugged out. I had heard stories of this woman, but witnessing something like this took the cake.

"Why is she in a wedding dress?"

Quinn shook her head and just shrugged.

-x-o-x-o-x-

I twirled Santana out on the dance floor as Mike did the same for Quinn. The wedding had been called off since the bride ran away. The reception was still going on, in celebration of the New Direction's reunion or something. I guess they didn't want the money to go to waste.

When I pulled Santana back into my arms, she caught a glimpse of Brittany with Sam and her mood dropped. She pulled Quinn from Mike's grasps and they made their way towards the bar. I managed to grab Quinn before she got too far, motioning to Santana that she'll catch up.

"Are you seriously going to drink?"

"Look, Santana needs me to be her buffer. If that means drinking with her, then so be it."

"How are you even going to get the alcohol."

"Fake I.D." I just blinked.

"Wha…When did you even get that made?"

"When you were held up with that test a week ago. Henri knew a guy so they took me."

"I'm gonna kill Henri…" I muttered under my breath. I was really wary about Quinn getting drunk after hearing about the last couple of times she ever did.

I just sighed and let go of my roommate's arm.

"Just don't overdo it, ok? I'm keeping my eye on you."

Quinn smiled and pulled me into a brief hug. "Don't worry too much about me. I'll have Santana with me." My eyebrow shot up at the statement. "Ok, fine. I won't overdo it."

"I'm still keeping an eye on you and drink a lot of water." She nodded, giving me an appreciative, if not exasperated look.

"Now go sooth the savage beast."

Quinn laughed as she walked away towards Santana. I watched her retreat before making my way back to Mike. We tore up the dance floor together, the center of the circle on multiple occasions until Sue Sylvester took the stage for the bouquet toss. I attempted to back out, only to be pushed into the crowd of single women by a drunken Santana and tipsy Quinn. I just groaned and accepted it.

Into the air, the bouquet went. I had made no attempt to reach for it, but the person who did catch it had bumped into me. I held my hands out to steady the girl, and saw that it was Rachel Berry who caught it, too astonished to notice anything but the bouquet in her hands. Turning to look at Quinn, I noticed the look in her panicked eyes and I knew that she was reliving her accident and the reason behind it. Hazel eyes darted from Rachel to the lumbering Finn at the edge of the room before they finally settled just on Rachel. Pushing through the crowd of jealous women, I reached Quinn and wrapped my arms around her.

"Hey, you okay?" She was shaking in my arms. I felt her chest heave as she took a deep breath and exhaled in a shudder. It took her a few moments to calm down before she nodded. It was quick, much quicker than it had been to calm her in the past, but it worked.

Quinn looked over at Rachel again, whose eyes were trained on Finn. I looked over at Santana, who rolled her eyes and I knew that this was basically the trio's relationship in high school. The girl in my arms excused herself to go the restroom and I took that chance to go and talk to Santana.

"Hey Santana. What's up with those three?"

The Latina snorted and crossed her arms as she sat down at our table. I followed suit and hoped that she was at least sober enough to tell me.

"Q's totally gay for Berry. Same goes for the munchkin. Been that way since sophomore year whether they knew it or not."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. It was obvious as all hell to some of us. Berry's view was blocked by Finnsolence's giant head and couldn't see it. Q's excuse is her strict Christian upbringing."

"That's legit, at least."

I looked towards Rachel and Finn, both now walking away from the party, probably to speak privately.

"I really can't imagine them together. That height difference is scary."

"I know, right?" Santana said as she leaned back on her chair. I scooted my chair next to hers and leaned back as well, resting my arm on the back of her chair. "But both of them are too chicken shit to even attempt a relationship. Hell, if you hadn't noticed, Rachel's been avoiding Quinn all day."

I looked at Santana with confusion in my eyes. "Any idea why?"

"Pfft. Hell if I know. What goes through Berry's mind is more dramatic than I ever want to know. But, it might be out of fear of going for it. Neither of them have the best track record for relationships."

I nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, I felt eyes on me and turned to look for the source, but couldn't find it. But I knew that it came from somewhere on the dance floor. Before I had the chance to wonder, Quinn returned, and plopped down on my lap with a sigh.

"You two are really cozy together." Santana pointed out. Both Quinn and I shrugged at the same time.

Again, I felt eyes on me, but they were different. My head jerked towards the source and saw Rachel staring at us before taking the stage. Quinn stood up and grabbed Santana and me, pulling us to the dance floor. Surprisingly enough, we were right up against the stage.

I ended up getting paired with Mike while Quinn and Santana slow danced together. I still managed to keep an eye on Quinn and I noticed (something I've been doing a lot here in Lima) that the majority of Rachel and Finn's performance, Quinn was facing the stage just watching Rachel sing.

'Hm…' I thought. It seems whether I wanted it or not, a plan was hatching in my mind.

-x-o-x-o-x-

The rest of the night was spent on the dance floor until I noticed that a few of the couples were missing, including Rachel and Finn. The songs had been upbeat so Quinn was enjoying herself and her present company so she may not have noticed.

It was a moment until I saw a figure sneaking out. I had an inkling that I knew who it was so I asked Mike to keep an eye on Quinn for me before walking outside and following the figure. Once through the doors, I ran into one Rachel Berry, shivering on the sidewalk.

"Hey, do yo- WHOA!" My hands immediately shot up in surrender, my eyes wide as they stared down a can of mace pointed at them. Rachel and I stood frozen until she lowered the weapon slowly.

"You're Quinn's roommate, right?" I just nodded, still staring at the threat to my well-being. I didn't relax until it was out of my sight.

"Rain Shinziko. Nice to finally meet you, Rachel. I've heard a lot about you."

A hopeful, puppy-dog look adorned Rachel's face as she looked up at me. "Really? Good things I hope?"

I tried really hard not to be really girly and just pinch Rachel's cheeks because she was being adorable. So I just buried my hands in my pockets and nodded. She smiled and ducked her head, similar to how Quinn would do whenever she was embarrassed or shy.

"Are you leaving already? I'm sure Quinn would like to talk to you before you left."

Rachel's face just dropped and she looked out towards the street. "I would much prefer to leave right now. I don't think I could stay here anymore."

I just nodded. "How about I give you a lift then? I've gotten to know Quinn's other friends. I'd like to get to know you a little more too."

Thought wary at first, she agreed to the offer. I draped my blazer over her shoulders and lead her to my car. Once we settled in, I pulled out of the parking lot and had her direct me to her house.

It was silent aside from the occasional direction and more than a little awkward. I just decided to go right into the tough questions.

"So, why are you ducking out of the reception early?" From the corner of my eye, I could see that Rachel was contemplating.

"Take a left here. Do you promise not to tell anyone?" I stopped at a traffic light and looked at the girl. She had those pleading eyes. I nodded and gestured for her to talk. She took a deep breath and began.

"I…I slept with Finn earlier."

"And from what I gathered from other people, that's something you're not proud of?" I asked as I began to drive again.

"Not entirely. The fact that I did it sober just adds another notch to my shame."

"So you're basically doin' a run of shame rather than a walk, huh?"

"No…maybe. Take a right here."

Silence filled the car once more as I tried to figure out another question. One struck my mind when I mentally created a timeline of events.

"You got out of there pretty fast. Was it a quickie? Why didn't Finn follow you?" I glanced over quickly and caught her dropping her head in shame.

"He's…not known for his stamina." My grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"He didn't co-"

"NO! NO!" She cried out before I could even say it. "We didn't even make it to the intercourse part."

There was a moment of silence before I couldn't help but let out a loud snort. I was glad that I reached another traffic light because I was doubled over in laughter. I felt a hard smack on my arm, but it didn't stop my laughter. Though, I did force myself to calm down so I could keep driving.

"Turn right here…" Rachel said dejectedly. I followed her directions, still giggling slightly.

"I'm sorry, Rachel but someone with stamina that bad can't be good with sex, no matter how good their partner is."

"I know. I just…I hold him in such high regard. It's hard to accept any fault he has."

"That's the thing, Rachel. If you're gonna love someone, you need to love all of them, flaws and all. Not just ignore or overlook them." Rachel was silent after that, so I let it stew in her brain. She only spoke to give me further direction.

My phone went off as Quinn's custom text alert began to go off. I didn't even glance at it, but I felt Rachel tense up considerably and she looked ready to grab the phone if I so much even think about looking at it. I just kept driving, allowing Rachel to stiffly direct me. It seemed like Quinn wasn't the only one affected by the accident.

Once we reached the Berry household, I got out of the car and opened the passenger door for Rachel before walking her to her front door.

"Thank you for taking me home. I highly appreciate it." She said, handing me back my blazer.

"Don't worry about it. Any friend of Quinn's is a friend of mine. You should come visit us sometime in New Haven if you get the chance. I'm sure Quinn would be delighted to have you around."

Rachel frowned. I knew that it was her uncertain feelings for the blonde that was keeping her from doing anything with Quinn. I just wondered if asking as a neutral party would affect any decisions.

Slowly, Rachel just nodded. "I…I'll consider it. School's been keeping me busy, but I'll try. You and Quinn are free to join us in New York as well. I'm sure Kurt and Santana wouldn't mind the company."

"I'll talk to Quinn about it. I better get going and let you be." I patted Rachel's head, similar to the way that I would to Nat. "Take care, Rach. Hope we get to see you soon."

I backed up as she entered her house and traveled back to my car. I grabbed my phone as I hopped in and checked my texts.

_QF: Where are you?_

_RS: Just doing a friend a favor. I'll be back soon._

I just waited a moment in the car before I got another text.

_QF: Let me know when you get back. People are starting to leave and I'm tired._

_RS: Sure thing. Be there soon._

I backed out of the Berrys' driveway and back to the church. It seemed as though I didn't have to let Quinn know I was back. She was waiting right outside with Mike and Santana. I stepped out of the car, and leaned my arms on the top of my car.

"Did you wait long?"

"Nope. Your girl got like crazy Rain Radar or something." I laughed at Santana's words before making my way towards the trio.

"Am I taking you guys home too?"

"Nah. Santana's place is on my way, so I can take her." Mike said. Santana slid right up against me.

"But if you want, you can take me home and sleep over. I'm sure Mike wouldn't mind going out of his way to take Quinn home." I didn't falter and just raised my eyebrow, a habit I got from Quinn. I leaned in, my nose almost touching Santana's. My thumb grazed along her lower lip as I grinned.

"How about not? It's late and I'm tired. I don't need an all-nighter to mess me up. Maybe another time."

Backing up, I opened the passenger door for Quinn, said goodbye and promised to keep in touch with Mike before heading to the driver seat. Santana was frozen in shock. I couldn't help it. After I heard it the first time, I was hoping for a chance to say it.

"It's all about the teasing. You should know that."

I slammed the door and drove off. Mike was cracking up as he pulled Santana to his car and Quinn practically dying next to me. Safe to say I made a good impression on her friends.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! Things on the Faberry end will kick up in the next chapter and I'm gonna have fun playing on the Rain/Santana pairing. **

**Next chapter will be normal POV.**

**Read, Review, Criticize constructively. I appreciate all of it.**

**As always, I'm open to any ideas you may have. I write for you guys, after all.**

_**There's a couple of people I'd like to thank.**_

**Shaun Yun Farron: Thanks for inspiring the Rain/Santana pairing. You have no idea how that feels to have someone pair a canon character to your OC. I may just draw a shippy pic so you also have an idea of how Rain looks.**

**Izabella G.D: My friend, thank you for reviewing every one of my chapters. I really appreciate it and I always look forward to your opinion.**


	6. Let's Tie Loose Ends

**A/N: Hi guys! Here's another update for y'all! I must tell you, I'm really happy with all the positive feedback for this story. It's officially the longest fic I've ever written! Anyway, I won't go on a whole spiel or whatever. But I will say that this is back to normal POV. Sorry for any confusion. As always, I apologize for any mistakes I made.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters. I do own Rain, Henri, and Nat.**

* * *

It had been a month since the failed wedding but to Quinn and Rain, it flew by in a flash. After returning to New Haven from Lima, they had thrown themselves into their schoolwork. The two students managed to keep a regular schedule started and maintained. With midterms creeping up on their backs, they needed all the available time they could muster up. Any other extra time, they just stayed in their dorm, relaxing together. Though, one day Quinn did go cut her hair. Now it was back to the length it was when she first cut it back during Nationals at New York.

Between the running and schoolwork, Quinn had attempted to communicate with Rachel any way she could. However, texts and phone calls remained unanswered and emails continued to be generic. Though, Quinn did keep tabs on Rachel through Santana ever since she found out that the Latina had been living with the diva and Kurt a month ago at the reception.

At the moment, both girls were working on papers for their respective classes. They were sitting on Quinn's bed, leaning back to back, both typing furiously to finish these papers so they didn't have to worry about them later. Rain was slouched over, allowing her roommate to maintain good posture because of her back. Amidst the silence, Quinn's computer began to ring, Skype notifying her of a call coming through. The blonde was confused for a moment, having been thrown from her train of thought. She answered the call and was greeted with the face of her best friend and former second-in-command.

"Yo, Q! Nice haircut. Very junior year."

"Santana? What's going on? You don't usually call. And where are you? That doesn't look like the loft."

Curious, Rain halted her typing and peeked over Quinn's shoulder. She shifted her body to prop her chin on the other girl's shoulder as they listened to her speak.

"I got kicked out."

"WHAT!?" The two residents of New Haven yelled out. Rain was fully turned now, facing her roommate's laptop. Santana yanked out her ear buds, cursing in Spanish as she rubbed her ears. It took her a moment to put her buds back in and reply.

"I was only trying to help Berry. Her boy toy's a fucking escort and I won't let her mess up her chances here. You and I both know that she's capable of. She's making the same mistake she did before with Finnept."

"Boy toy?" That confused Rain. Did Rachel sleep with Finn when she had someone else back in New York? So many questions flew through her head and she couldn't filter through them fast enough to ask a question. Quinn, however, was much quicker with her words.

"What? How did she end up with an escort?"

"Apparently, he's a student over at NYADA. Third year, I think. He's using his 'job,'" Santana air-quoted, "to pay his tuition."

"Rachel would never go out with an escort! She doesn't like to share her boyfriends. I should know!"

Rain let out a quiet snort. After all the stories she heard, she was sure that Rachel was the possessive type. Sometimes, she wished that she went to McKinley, just so she could've witnessed all of the drama.

"Well, she didn't know. And now, she refuses to even consider it. The reason I'm calling you is that I need you to come and talk some sense into your girl. For whatever reason, you make her better."

Quinn just scoffed at that.

"You know that Rachel never listens to my advice."

"Quinn, Berry respects you more than anyone out of McKinley. Please say you'll at least come and try to talk some sense into her."

The blonde just let out a sigh, her head falling back onto Rain's shoulder in exhaustion.

"San, I'm really busy with school right now. You know that midterms are just around the corner for me. I've been complaining about it enough."

"It's only for a few days! Come on, Q. You, of all people, should be up on the first train over here to help her. And I honestly think you're the only one who can. Or at least the only one I would want to help her." They all knew Santana was thinking about Finn.

Exasperated, Quinn looked at her roommate who just shrugged.

"We ARE ahead of schedule. We were gonna take a break after we finished these papers anyway."

Quinn sighed once more and just flopped to the side, out of Santana's vision. She waved her hand at Rain and nodded so the Asian scooted forward to address Santana.

"Give us tonight and tomorrow to finish everything we have here in New Haven. We'll be there by Thursday afternoon."

Santana let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled.

"Thanks, Rain. I'll see you two in a couple of days then."

Santana signed off, leaving the two Yale students alone once more. Quinn propped herself up on her elbows as Rain placed the blonde's legs on her lap.

"Isn't this what you do as a Christian, Quinn? Missionary work?"

A pillow to her face was Rain's answer.

-x-o-x-o-x-

Quinn walked through the hallway, towards her friends' New York loft. Rain followed closely behind, pulling their shared suitcase along as they traveled. Santana had come up with the idea to have the duo surprise Kurt and Rachel, however, when they neared the apartment, yelling could be heard. The New Haven residents just looked at each other, afraid to knock. While they silently debated, the door swung open and the full force of the voices hit them. They were suddenly pulled into the room, the door slamming behind them.

They looked at a frantic Santana, the one who pulled them in, until the loud voices drew their attention to the center of the room. There, Quinn and Rain saw Finn towering over Rachel and Kurt, anger in his eyes. Kurt was standing between him and Rachel, trying to calm him down and keep him away from the brunette. Rain was about to step in, but Quinn stopped her and walked forward herself.

"Rachel, how could you do this to me!? I thought we had something last month. Hell, we slept together! I told you at Mr. Schue's wedding that we were meant to be together. We are end- What? Quinn? What are you doing here?"

Quinn had situated herself between Finn and Kurt, adopting her famous HBIC stance as she glared up at Finn. Her eyes had a golden shine to them as the room got eerily quiet. Rain stood back, but was prepared to jump in if things got physical. She didn't want Quinn to get hurt by that lumbering giant. Santana stood right behind her, ready to assist. Kurt and Rachel backed a few steps away from the standoff happening before them.

"The question is Hudson, what are YOU doing here? Last I heard you two were on bad terms."

"I suppose you know that her boyfriend was an escort!? How could you let her do that? I thought you emailed her all the time."

"No. If you listened, I said SHE was the one who emailed me every OTHER week. And who she dates shouldn't be your concern. She's not with you anymore. She's a grown woman and she doesn't need you to do anything for her. She never needed you to do anything for her. You're an incompetent, idiotic dumbass who has anger issues. You think you're the golden boy, but you never were."

Everyone's jaw just drops. This was the first time Rain had ever seen Quinn rip into someone like that and a while for anyone else. Silence filled the room once more, allowing Quinn's words to sink into the tall male before her. Finn's facial expression changed as the words processed in his mind. Eventually, a deep scowl took its place on his face. He straightened his back and loomed over Quinn in an attempt to intimidate her.

"You're one to talk Quinn. You think you're a saint? After all the things you've done to Rachel and to me? Or even to Santana? What about all of the slushies you ordered? You cheated on me with my best friend and got pregnant. You lied to me about the baby. You bullied Rachel day in and day out. You called her horrible names like…like…Man Hands or Stubbles and slushied her every day. You told Coach Sylvester about Santana's boob job and constantly were fighting for the top spot on the Cheerios. You were a horrible person, Quinn. I'm amazed you actually have people who care about you at all! I'm sure that dyke you hang out with just wants to get into your pants."

If it wasn't for Santana holding her back, Rain would've been beating on Finn's face which was inches apart from Quinn's. Finn was breathing heavily from his rant, but Quinn wasn't budging. There was an eerie calm around her, even after Finn blew up in her face but rather than yelling right back, she spoke with an even tone.

"I didn't say I was a saint. I'm far from perfect, Finn. But I stopped bullying Rachel a long time ago. After the whole thing between us and you was over, I stopped antagonizing her. Hell, I stopped even before that. If I was mean to her any time during junior year, it was because I knew it was the only way she was going to listen to me. She was going places and being with you was dragging her down.

"Yes, I cheated on you with Puck. But I was young and I made a mistake. It was one that cost me a year of my life. And afterwards, I lost track of what was right in an attempt to be popular again. As for Santana, if Coach found out from anyone else about the boob job, she would've kicked her off the team right then and there."

Santana nodded her affirmative to herself more than anyone.

"The point is Hudson, is that I've grown and learned from my experiences. The biggest example of that growth is the fact that my biggest enemy in high school is one of my best friends now. And you? You're still stuck in your high school mindset. I will tell you this once and only once. You need to grow up, Finn. The people all around you are changing and you're still stuck being the high school quarterback who could do no wrong. The world is shifting and if you don't go along with it, you'll get swallowed up. So leave now and think about everything that's gone on in your recent life. Change what you need to and see if you and Rach have a future together rather than force her to adapt to your complacency. "

The blonde stepped even closer to Finn, causing him to shrink back. The mood around them darkened immediately as her calm face changed into a deathly glare.

"And you need to learn to speak to people with proper respect. You don't know Rain. You don't know what she's done for me in the past three months. I can tell you now that she's done a lot more for me than you ever have in the entire time we've known each other. And she sure as hell would never have jeopardized someone's well-being by trying to make them stand when they barely could in the first place."

The witnesses to the standoff, sans Rain, furrowed their brows in confusion. It was Rachel who broke the silence.

"W-what? Quinn, what do you mean by that?" Quinn didn't look away from Finn, but he turned his head away in shame. It was neither of them who answered Rachel.

"Senior Prom. Before the prom king and queen were announced, Finn went to check on Quinn who was in the restroom and he saw her standing at the sink," Rain started. "He accused her of using her situation to gain pity votes. While they were dancing, he tried to force her to stand up by grabbing her wheelchair. If it wasn't for someone stepping in, he would've tipped her over and injured her further."

Rain had heard the story from Quinn and couldn't believe it. Even repeating it, it was unbelievable. But seeing Finn's shameful face made the whole story real to her and made her want to punch Finn until her knuckles bled.

"Hijo de puta! Te mataré!" This time Rain had to hold Santana back. She looked at the other two to gauge their reactions.

Kurt was in utter shock. He knew that Finn had an anger issue, but he never thought that his step brother would even consider hurting a wheelchair-bound person. Rachel, on the other hand, was fuming. She marched up right to Finn and slapped him right across the face. The sound echoed around the room, leaving Quinn in shock as her attention switched to Rachel.

"Get out now, Finn Hudson. We are through." She ordered.

"But Rach, that was a year ago and she's ok now. I was just mad because all Quinn cared about was winning Prom Queen."

"That doesn't excuse what you did. I can't believe I almost married an insensitive jerk like you. And if you didn't remember, I won Prom Queen thanks to Quinn and Santana."

Quinn recoiled in surprise and spun her head to look at Santana who met her eyes with equal surprise.

"I knew they rigged the votes and let me win. No one else could've done it." Rachel crossed her arms and held her head high.

"Now get out of here before I call the authorities."

Finn's shoulders slumped in defeat as he made his way out the door.

"This isn't over, Rachel. I love you."

"Well, too bad because as of right now, I don't love you." The door slammed in Finn's face, officially declaring the discussion over.

It was quiet for a moment before Santana declared "FINALLY! Finnocent is out of the picture!"

A smile broke out on everyone's face as they all moved into a group hug.

"As much as I love that you and Finn aren't together anymore, you know I still have to play Switzerland, right?" Kurt mentioned. "I mean, he is family after all."

"That's quite fine, Kurt. Just as long as he doesn't try to woo me again, we can eventually live peacefully."

"Now, about Brody…"

"Santana…"

-x-o-x-o-x-

Rachel, Quinn, and Rain were in the kitchen, working on dinner while Kurt did some schoolwork and Santana lazed about. Rain had taken control of the stove when Rachel had misjudged the level of the flames and almost set the building on fire.

"So Berry," Santana called out from the couch. "How did you find out about the Prom results?"

Rachel looked up from the cut carrots to glance at the Latina before drawing her attention back to her task.

"It wasn't hard to figure out. After I recovered from the shock of that and Quinn standing, I pieced two and two together. I believe the students at McKinley were smart enough not to do the same prank twice." Rachel cleaned the knife in her hand after she gave Rain the vegetables to put into the pot.

"I do want to know, though. Who really ended up winning?"

Rain glanced at her roommate who had a smug grin on her face as she peeled the potatoes.

"I did," Quinn said quietly. "By one vote."

She handed Rachel a bowl of peeled potatoes before grabbing a knife of her own and began cutting them up. Rachel took a moment before she followed suit. Knowing that it was her vote that tipped the scale made her oddly smug and proud. She was the reason Quinn was able to reach her dream.

At that moment, the door opened, letting in a beaten Brody. Everyone was surprised to see the battered state of the boy and all rushed to check on him.

"Brody! What happened?" Rachel gingerly touched his face, looking at the black eye and bruises.

"Finn. We ran into each other in the street and he started threatening me to stay away from you. When I wouldn't back down, he swung at me." He took a seat in the nearest chair and let out a groan as his eyes slid shut. He heard something being tossed near him and suddenly, something cold hit his eye. He opened his good eye in shock to see a stunning blonde he never saw before.

"Uh…Hi. Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Brody. This is Quinn Fabray. She's a friend from McKinley," Rachel stated. "And the one in the kitchen is Rain."

"Rain?"

A groan could be heard as said person walked towards the dashing boy.

"Rainier Shinziko. Rain's my nickname."

Brody looked back and forth from Quinn to Rain. Quinn had an amused smirk on her face because of Rain's annoyance. Quinn got up, letting Brody take a hold of the bag of frozen peas against his face. Rachel looked at the others, and they took it as their cue to leave her with Brody so they could talk privately.

Santana went into her room while Rain and Quinn went back into the kitchen to finish cooking, though Quinn couldn't help but allow her gaze to linger on Rachel, biting her lower lip with the anxiety she felt when she saw the brunette with Brody.

* * *

**A/N****: The next chapter will still be in New York! I didn't realize how long I was makin' this chapter, so I stopped it here and will be workin' on the rest of the New York trip for the next chapter :3 I know I said that the Faberry will get kicked up in this chapter, but seeing as I ended up deciding on two chapters for the New York trip...yeah. Just think of this as a preview, I guess.**

**Read, Review, Criticize constructively. I do appreciate all the messages I get.**


	7. Let the Plan Begin

**A/N: And here's another chapter! Anyway! As usual, I apologize for any mistakes I made. This chapter seemed to jump around a lot for me. I hope it didn't confuse anyone.  
**

**EDIT: Ok. Because of a couple of reviews I got, I'll clarify things a bit. Yes, I don't mind Brody, only because I barely paid any attention to Glee this season. The only episodes I really watched were the ones involving Dianna/Quinn. Canon things that I've picked up concerning Finn and Brody were things that I saw afterwards via Tumblr. So any bad thing that Brody has done, I haven't really seen. So let me remain in my little bubble because I really don't feel like researching those bits. I'm pretty sure I kind of derailed from canon during the wedding chapter anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters. I do own Rainier, Henri, and Nat.**

* * *

Leaving to a more private area of the loft, Rachel and Brody sat in the little room by the front door. Hazel eyes followed and watched them through the shelf divider as Quinn continued to help Rain with dinner.

The brunette tended to her boyfriend's wounds as they sat in silence before he finally spoke.

"So, that's Quinn, huh?" Rachel could only smile fondly at the sound of Quinn's name and nod. She glanced over at Quinn who blushed and looked away, having been caught staring.

"She's beautiful." He pointed out, only to be answered with another nod.

"She is, but she's a lot more than that." Brody looked at Rachel for a moment, a knowing smile spreading slowly on his face though he didn't say anything.

Rachel bit her lip, anxious about what she was going to say next. But she knew what she had to do.

"Brody…I don't think we should keep seeing each other." The male just nodded and looked at the brunette.

"So Santana told you, huh?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to believe her at first, but…" Brody just held up his hand to stop her.

"I get it. Don't worry about it. You weren't meant for an open relationship. I'm sorry I kept it from you but with the stigma revolving around being an escort, it's hard to mention." Rachel smiled gratefully at her now ex-boyfriend and nodded in understanding.

"I understand. I do hope we can still be friends at least. You were the first person to really welcome me to New York after all."

"Of course. I love you, Rachel. I'll keep you around any way I can." The two stood up and hugged, only to be interrupted by some cursing from the kitchen. When they looked, they saw Quinn with her finger in her mouth and Rain trying to take a look at it.

"Go take care of your girl. I'll grab my things and be out of your hair."

"Thank you, Brody. For everything." With a final kiss on the cheek, Rachel went to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit and tend to her friend.

-x-o-x-o-x-

With dinner cooked and eaten and Brody gone, the remaining members of the household sat in front of the television, letting the sounds from the device flow in the background while they make plans with their guests.

Santana, Kurt, and Rachel had taken their usual places at the sofa while Rain and Quinn took the loveseat. Even though they were engaged in the conversation, the New Haven residents couldn't help but stare at the other three. It hadn't escaped their notice that all three were in possession of "boyfriend pillows" and it amused them greatly. It was enough to the point that Quinn couldn't help but comment on it.

"I think we should go ice skating! It's perfect weat-"

"I'm sorry," Quinn said, interrupting Rachel. "But why do all three of you have those pillows? You look ridiculous."

"Q, you're just jealous that you don't have one. Let's be honest here." Santana just snuggled into her pillow. Quinn just let out a snort in reply.

"San, I don't need a 'boyfriend pillow.' If I need to cuddle with someone, I have Rain."

Said girl wrapped her arm around Quinn's shoulders in response, letting the blonde press her body into her side and snuggle in. Santana just scoffs while Kurt and Rachel look at the duo curiously.

"You two are quite close, aren't you?" Kurt asked.

"We're roommates," Rain stated. "It'd be hard to live together if we don't like each other and Quinn's like a sister to me."

Anyone who had paid attention to her would've noticed Rachel letting go of a breath that even she didn't know she was holding. She regained her composure and piped in, changing the subject with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"That's great and I'm glad that you're great company for Quinn, but can we return to the issue at hand? You two are here for the rest of the weekend and we've no plans whatsoever."

Rachel began listing out the things that had been mentioned earlier in the conversation. The other three were used to Rachel's rants, but Rain looked on in awe. Rachel would've kept going if Quinn hadn't interrupted her once again.

"Rach, we can do ice skating tomorrow and then karaoke in the evening. After that, let's just see where things go. It's more fun if we just go with the flow."

"But Quinn! We'll never get anything done without a set plan an—"

"RACH! It's ok. As long as we get to hang with you guys, I'm sure anything we do will be fun and enjoyable. Ok?"

"Fine…"

Santana lifted her hand and made a whipping motion, letting out a "wa-psh" each time she flicked her wrist. Rachel just glared at her while Rain and Kurt laughed.

"You know," Kurt started. "I missed this Rachel."

"What do you mean?" The small brunette questioned.

"You remember that whole deal with me calling in Santana and Quinn a couple months back. I'm glad you're back to your old self. It's the Rachel we've grown to love."

Everyone laughed as Rachel ducked her head in embarrassment and an easy atmosphere surrounded the quintet.

Hours passed before everyone decided to go to bed. Kurt was the first to head to his bed, leaving the girls to decide where the guests were going to sleep. Rain and Quinn were fine with taking the couch or floor, but Rachel was adamant about Quinn taking her bed because of the girl's back. Santana soon got tired of the discussion and went to her own room.

"Quinn, I can't let you sleep on the couch. That's far too uncomfortable for your back! I, on the other hand, don't mind and will gladly let you have the bed."

"Rachel, I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed. Don't worry. I'm fine with the couch. I'll be fine."

In the meantime, Rain had taken the blankets and a pillow, laying them on the couch for herself. She looked up at the arguing duo and cleared her throat loud enough to catch their attention.

"Rachel, is that your bed over there?" The tallest of the trio pointed to a bed that could be seen past the open curtain. The brunette nodded her answer. "It's big enough for the both of you. Why don't you share it then? No big deal."

Quinn and Rachel went silent at the suggestion, both with rising blushes on their faces. The half-Asian busied herself with making her 'bed' as she tried to control her facial expressions and force herself not to grin like the Cheshire Cat. She glanced over to Santana's room, knowing that the girl was watching as well. Sure enough, Rain was greeting with the Latina's own shit-eating grin as she witnessed the other two squirming uncomfortably. After a moment, Rachel broke the silence.

"W-well, I-I do believe that we could do that. T-that is if Quinn doesn't mind."

"No. I don't mind."

"Well then!" Rain clapped her hands together. "Now that that's settled, let's get some rest. I'll see you both in the morning."

The blushing duo shuffled to bed as Rain made herself comfortable on the couch. She was just about to fall asleep when she felt a poke on her forehead. Opening her eyes, she saw Santana looking down at her.

"Can I help you?" Rain asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the other residents.

"All the flirting and you sleep out here? Why not sleep with me?" Rain sat up, allowing Santana to slide next to her.

"I don't do hook-ups. I don't see anything wrong with a little flirting though." The short-haired girl just shrugged. "Besides, didn't you just get out of a relationship? And as far as I witnessed from the wedding and from what Quinn told me, you still have feelings for your ex."

The Latina crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch.

"That's true, but I'll always love Brittany. I still think she's my soul mate. We were perfect for each other. But I didn't want to be the reason for her broken heart in the future."

"But didn't you already do that by breaking up with her?"

"It's not the same!" Santana exclaimed quietly. "I'd rather let her go than cheat on her."

"But if you love her that much, you wouldn't have to worry about cheating. Santana, come on now. You're smarter than that." The dark-skinned girl just let out a heavy sigh.

"It doesn't matter anyway. She's with Trouty Mouth now and she has no intention of leaving him." She was quiet for a moment. "I just wanted to be better for Britt. I wanted to be good enough for her."

"You know in your heart of hearts that she loved you no matter what. She stuck with you for a long time, right?" Santana just nodded before resting her head against Rain's shoulder.

Silence filled the room. It was long enough to where Rain had thought Santana fell asleep. It wasn't until the Latina spoke again did she realize that she wasn't.

"You think Brittany and I have a future? Together, I mean." The Asian just shrugged.

"If you fight for her, then yeah. Nothing's gonna happen if you sit there moping while she moves on. But I do think she loves you still, and I don't think that'll change anytime soon. Just don't make her wait too long." She felt Santana nod before the Latina stood up.

"How do you not have a girl yet?"

"I'm a little picky, I won't lie."

"Oh, so I'm not good enough?"

"No. Your heart just belongs to someone else."

A soft smile spread on Santana's face. She bent down and took Rain's face in both of her hands before planting a kiss on her lips. The action caught the taller girl off guard, but she returned it. They parted after a few seconds, leaving Rain slightly breathless.

"Thanks, Rain. You're good people. I'm glad you're around to help with the crazy."

Rain laughed and took the Latina's hand, kissing the knuckles softly.

"Sleep well, San. We got big plans to set in motion tomorrow."

A smirk appeared on Santana's face as she glanced towards Rachel's bed. With a nod, she bid the Yale student a good night before the two of them settled down for a night's rest.

-x-o-x-o-x-

A soft whirring stirred Rain from her sleep. Too tired to open her eyes, she tried to distinguish the sound but was unable to do so. She blindly reached out for her phone and checked the time.

8:17AM.

Whoever was responsible for that insistent noise was going to get an earful. There wasn't much that Rain was going to get up this early for. She liked her sleep. The tired girl sat up and looked around, squinting slightly from the brightness of the room. Once her eyes focused she saw Rachel on her elliptical, working out with such determination that Rain herself was getting pumped. She could see that this was why Rachel's legs were to die for.

Rain stood up and stretched, letting out a loud yawn that caught Rachel's attention.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Did I wake you up? I know Kurt and Santana get annoyed with it sometimes, but it's a deeply rooted habit for me."

"It's fine." Rain mentally cursed since she couldn't outwardly curse out the smaller girl. "I guess I'll just make coffee or something."

"Oh, all right. Do you know where everything is?"

"Don't worry. I'll figure it out. Just keep working out."

Coffee was made and Rachel finished her workout. The two sat together in companionable silence, sipping the hot beverage as Rain attempted to wake up a little more. However, Rain jolted awake when the duo heard a quiet groan. Her back went rigid as she trained her ears towards the source. Rachel felt the tension from the other girl and started to get a bit frightened. It wasn't until Rain heard the soft utterance of her name did she shoot up and raced towards Rachel's bed, towards Quinn, with the smaller brunette trailing close behind.

The blonde was laying on her side with a pained look on her face. Rachel was worried, having no idea what to do. Rain, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. She leaned close to Quinn, muttering so softly that Rachel could barely make out what she was saying.

"Can you turn and lay on your back?" The blonde shook her head. She had attempted, but the pain from her back was too much.

"Alright. Hold tight, sweetheart. This will hurt a bit."

The taller girl laid her hand flat on Quinn's lower back while the other hand went on her shoulder. As gently as she could, she pushed down on the shoulder, moving Quinn so she was lying on her back. The ailing girl let out a gasp of pain. That prompted Rachel to climb onto the bed next to her and gently stroke her hair in an attempt to sooth her. The diva looked up at Rain with questioning eyes.

"What's going on? Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She basically just needs to get the kinks out of her back."

"But, she's in pain!"

"Rach, I'm fine. Really…" Quinn managed to say. Rain had begun to stretch her legs as if she was back in physical therapy. With each pull of her muscles, the pain ebbed away.

"What happened?" Rachel asked. She looked from Rain to Quinn and back again, as if the answer would just appear if she turned her head fast enough.

"If you hadn't noticed, Quinn doesn't move much when she sleeps," Rain explained. "And with the weather being so wicked cold lately, it just stiffens up her back more so than it usually does. Sometimes it's to the point where I have to help her out like this."

"What happens when you're not around?" Quinn was the one who answered this question.

"I usually try to force myself to –ah ow—move. If it's too much, then I wait for Rain to come back to the room."

"Does this happen a lot?"

"No. Usually, I have enough blankets to keep me warm enough. And ever since I started running again, it hasn't been too bad."

"It could be the added strain on your back from being hunched over while studying," Rain pointed out. Quinn just shrugged, the pain finally dulled enough to where she could function again.

With Rain and Rachel's assistance, the blonde got out of bed. She stretched slightly before making her way to the restroom, limping slightly as she moved. The taller of the two remaining girls made her way back to the kitchen and grabbed her coffee as if nothing had happened. Rachel made her way towards the other girl, looking at her curiously. Rain looked up, her blue eyes meeting chocolate ones.

"Something on your mind, Rachel?" She asked as she fed her caffeine fix.

"You really care about Quinn, don't you?" Rain just rolled her eyes at the question.

"I think we established that last night. Yes, I do care about her. She's like my sister. I made a promise to myself that I'd protect her."

"Why?" Rain just shrugged.

"I don't know. It's just kind of that feeling that I had to. I can't really explain it." Rachel smiled at the answer as she warmed her hands with her mug.

"Well, I'm glad that you're around to help her. I've been really worried about her being all alone at Yale."

"She'll be fine for as long as I'm around. I promise you that." Rain drained the rest of her coffee and set the mug down on the table.

"Now, what's the plan for today?"

-x-o-x-o-x-

The five friends filed into Callbacks, the small karaoke bar that Kurt and Rachel had frequented often before they had taken Blaine and Finn there, leaving with bad memories. The duo hoped that this venture out be full of better memories, just as the rest of the day was.

Earlier in the day, after everyone had woken up and eaten breakfast, the group of five filed out of the loft to go ice-skating. It was amusing to say the least.

Rain had taken to the ice easily once they got into the rink, revealing that she had gone out with cousins to ice skate all the time during the winter. Rachel was the same way. The two were like fishes to water. Quinn had things a little bit harder, partially because of her back, but still glided on the ice easily, with a few stumbles and falls that nearly gave Rachel a heart attack. Kurt skated very well, but once he stopped, he couldn't stand properly and often fell from just standing. Santana, on the other hand, had the most trouble. Rain had to help and guide her, skating backwards while holding her hands.

All of the falling and tricks resulted in laughter for hours. Often times, Rain would double over while she was skating and end up sliding on the ice while on her knees, clutching her sides as silent laughs escaped her body. The only time she ever fell was when Santana pulled her down with her, and then tripping Rachel and Quinn, resulting in a laughing dogpile that Kurt gladly took a picture of.

Now, after a long day, they decided to enjoy the evening with a little karaoke. Despite the plans that had been made the previous night, once the others found out that Rain had a decent voice, but preferred not to sing, they all but dragged her over to Callbacks.

After claiming a table, Santana pulled Rain over to the song list, leaving the other three to order drinks. The Latina glanced over at the table before hurriedly looking though the list for the perfect song.

"There's gots to be a song in here that'll help kickstart things with those two." The songbook was fairly large, and Rain could only hope that they find something quickly and get things over with. She was never really confident in her voice and preferred to play an instrument rather than use her voice. Singing so easily for Quinn a few months back was the only public singing she had done in a long while.

"Hey, help me out will ya? I don't know what songs you know." The taller of the two relented and looked through the songbook. Eventually, they found a song that Rain could also play on the piano.

"All right. You're up after three losers, so get ready and prepare yourself. Ooh. Looks like they ordered wings."

It seemed like Rain was getting dragged around a lot the past couple of hours. She was such a pushover sometimes. But it was for the sake of her friend, so she didn't mind.

The group ate while people sang even though two out of the three before Rain were horrible. The one right before her was quite good and despite knowing that she wasn't too great vocally, it still lowered her self-confidence. Once the person was finished, Rain reluctantly headed towards the small stage. Her table whooped and hollered, adding to the embarrassment. When asked if she needed music, she shook her head and walked straight towards the piano. Taking a deep breath, she sat down and adjusted herself before addressing the audience.

"Uh…Hi," She had no idea what she was doing, but she was just following what the others before her had done. "My name's Rainier and I've been forced to perform for you all by my friends."

"You know you love us!" she heard Quinn say. Rain just shook her head and poised herself to start.

"Enjoy."

The tall Asian emptied her mind, falling into a routine she had established when she use to have piano recitals when she was younger. Though poised to press on the keys, her voice was the sound that permeated the air, breaking the silence.

_Have you ever loved somebody so much it made you cry?_

_Have you ever needed something so bad you can't sleep at night?_

_Have you ever tried to find the words but they don't come out right?_

_Have you ever? Have you ever?_

Soon, the soft tones of the piano accompanied her untrained, alto voice. Her eyes closed as she immersed herself into the song, singing with all that she had.

Tension immediately surrounded Quinn and Rachel, who were sitting next to each other. Their backs went rigid as they heard the song, refusing to glance at each other. Santana and Kurt both had the widest grins on their faces as they too joined in, singing backup for the one on stage.

With a small table, Quinn and Rachel were sitting very close to each other, just barely touching. The slightest shift would've had them touching. In a bold move, the blonde relaxed a little, allowing her arm to graze along the brunette's. The simple movement sent shockwaves up both of their spines and caused goosebumps to erupt where their skin had touched. They glanced at each other at the same time, only to turn away when their eyes met, faces flushing.

The awkwardness in the air held as the song neared its end. In an act of bravery, Rachel's hand inched towards Quinn's. Slowly, the hands met and fingers intertwined. The two had held hands before, but this felt different to them. Their hands remained connected until Rain returned to the table, blushing slightly at the praise they all were giving her. But, on the way home, their hands found each other again, as if attracted to each other like magnets.

The other three noticed and grinned, knowing that the ball was finally rolling.

* * *

**A/N****: And things get a rollin' along~ I can't go through with the Raitana ship just yet. My heart still has a little bit of love for Brittana. Anyway, I had that last karaoke part in my head for a while and I'm glad I was able to put it in somehow in this chapter.**

**Next chapter will be back in New Haven and we get to learn more about Rain and her crew at Yale.**

**Read, Review, Criticize constructively. It's all appreciated.**

**Also, thank you to all of the new faves and follows. You guys don't know how much of a boost to my ego that is :3**

**EDIT: Sorry if you find these thing boring and thank you for telling me things that I didn't know about Brody in the show, but I'll stick with what I wrote and leave it to divine karma to deal with the characters in my story.**

**As for Rain, I'm sorry that you don't find her interesting. As I've said before, I'm normally not a writer, so this is hard for me. I'll come back to this in the next chapter, but I do wish that I could reply to guest review in ways other than this.**


	8. First Visit

**A/N:**** I'm sorry this took so long, but I guess those bad reviews hit me harder than I thought. It effectively killed my drive to write for a good while. But, I'm back and I apologize again for the wait. Thanks to everyone who wrote nice reviews :3**

**Sully: I am thinkin' about a mini fic for Rain and Quinn. I just gotta think about how to go about it. If you or anyone else has any ideas, do feel free to let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. I do own Rain, Nat, Henri, and Hieu**

* * *

Quinn dove onto her bed with a sigh of relief.

Midterms were finally over for the young blonde and now she had a moment of peace to just let her brain relax. The same couldn't be said for Rain though. The poor girl still had two midterms left, both of which were today, back-to-back.

Rain had another half an hour before she had to go take her first exam, so she was using the time to decompress and calm herself. She was also reveling in the fact that she had a little time to spend with Quinn, since they hadn't been able to see each other as often as before in the past few weeks. The time spent together was limited to their morning runs, classes, and sleep. The rest of the time was spent studying with other people from classes that they didn't share. However, they did manage to find some time to just sit around in each other's company like they were now.

The soft text alert of Quinn's phone broke the silence that had fallen between the two. Rain looked up from her bed to see her friend reach over and grab her phone. As a soft smile spread across the blonde's face, Rain knew exactly who had sent the text.

After the two New Haven residents had returned from New York a few weeks ago, Quinn and Rachel had begun keeping in touch much more often than before, calling every now and then and texting almost constantly. It was nice for Rain to see Quinn smiling so much and she couldn't help but think up a plan to tease her before she left.

Silently, with the blonde distracted with her phone, the Asian slid off her bed and made her way towards her roommate. Quinn didn't register her presence until her phone was suddenly plucked from her grasps.

"RAIN!"

"Who're ya talking to?"

Rain held the cell out of Quinn's reach, using the minor difference in height to her advantage.

"It's just Rachel!"

"Oh! Lemme say hi!"

The taller woman moved to start texting but Quinn sent a jab to her side, causing her to double over and groan. The blonde took that moment to grab for the phone.

"Give me my phone back!"

Laughing, Rain relented and relinquished the phone back to its owner. Quinn watched Rain grab her things and prepare herself to head out with a huff. She looked down at her phone and saw that during the struggle, they had sent two messages of pure nonsense to Rachel. She glared at her roommate, who had a smug look on her face, and threw a pillow at her. Rain managed to dodge it and duck out of their room, throwing a "see ya!" over her shoulder as Quinn replied with a "good luck!" Quinn shook her head at her friend before answering her phone when the tune to "Don't Rain on My Parade" began to play from it.

"Hey, Rach. What's up?"

"Quinn, as much as I love a challenge deciphering text speak, what the hell did you send me?"

The Yale student let out a laugh and plopped down onto Rain's bed since it was the closest thing there.

"That was the result of a war against Rain to get my stolen phone back. I was in the middle of texting you, so it wasn't locked when she grabbed it."

"I see. I'm glad you came out victorious then." Quinn could practically hear the smile Rachel had on her face. "So, how are you going to spend your newfound freedom?"

"Well..."

Before Quinn could answer, a loud, frantic knock startled her. She blinked at the door before getting up and laid her hand on the doorknob.

"One sec, Rach. Someone just knocked."

"Take your time, Quinn."

Opening the door, the blonde half-expected to see Rachel on the other side, but found Henri instead.

"Henri?"

"Hey, Q. Rain here?"

"You just missed her. What's going on?"

The tall blonde just ran a hand through their hair and mumbled something the other blonde couldn't hear. They shot a look at Quinn, staring hard as if figuring something out, and let out a sigh.

"I just…need some help and Rain's usually my go-to mate."

"Well, Rain won't be back for a few hours. If you want, you can wait here," Quinn offered, still aware of Rachel on the other end of her phone.

"That'll actually keep me from doing something stupid…or from carking it." They walked into the room and sat heavily on Rain's bed. Quinn let out a sigh and told Rachel that she had a guest and would have to cut their conversation short.

"No need, Quinn."

The blonde whirled around to take in the short brunette now standing at her door. She looked at Rachel, who was toting her pink suitcase, with a look of disbelief as she ended their call.

"Rach? What are you doing here?"

"I came to surprise you and Rain," she said as she strolled right into the room. "I wanted to celebrate with you two once you finished your midterms. Santana and Kurt both have work, so they couldn't make it."

"Well, I'm glad you're here, Rachel." Quinn smiled at her friend before turning to look at the other blonde, who was eyeing the two with an amused look.

"Anyways Rachel, this is Henri. Henri, Rachel." The tallest of the trio stood up again and held out their hand, which Rachel took and shook.

"So you're the sheila I've been hearing so much about. Glad to finally meet you."

"A pleasure. I've heard a few stories about you too."

Henri let out a smirk before sitting back down. Quinn grabbed a few bottles of water from the mini fridge and handed them to her guests before sitting down on her own bed, followed by Rachel.

"So, what's going on, Henri? What do you need Rain for? What about Nat?"

"Whoa, whoa, Q. Hold up now." Henri held their hands up, chuckling softly. "Nat's helping her brother with his final project so she can't help me. Plus, Rain's kind of been somewhat of a manager for me since high school."

Both of the other girls had confused looks on their faces. Henri just shook their head and knew that story time was in order.

"Get comfy, girls. It's story time with the Aussie."

Quinn scooted back on her bed so her back was up against the wall. Rachel followed suit, sitting right next to Quinn with practically no space between them. Henri's eyebrow quirked when they saw Quinn's cheek color, but said nothing. The tall blonde waited until the two were settled before beginning.

"Well, I've known Rain since high school, but we didn't start out as mates. I moved to the States when I was about twelve and fell into a bad group of blokes. When high school started, I only went to get my parents off my back. I met Rain on the first day and we clashed right away. Looking back, it could be because she saw the potential in me or whatever. Anyway, we fought almost constantly. Mostly verbal fights that lead to fist fights. We always managed to end up battered and bruised."

Amber eyes looked towards the pair across from them. A small smile appeared when they saw how much attention the two had.

"That changed when I happened upon her piano recital. I was planning to sabotage it since she had beaten me in the last scuffle we had. But when I heard her play, I couldn't go through with it. I remember how she looked: poised and graceful, even with a black eye. I remember the song she played too. It was "The Scenery Begins" by Yiruma."

Rachel mutters something about loving that song and making Rain perform it sometime.

"It really hit me. There was so much emotion in the song and her movements that it made me cry. I really hated that it affected me that much, but it kind of opened my eyes to my love for music. Eventually, we kinda…slowly became friends while still being on the opposite side of the spectrum. I ended up looking into being a DJ, and she stuck with the classical shit."

Henri shifted to be more comfortable and ended up mirroring Quinn and Rachel's positions.

"Rain helped me get some gigs back in Boston. She's really good with reading people and seeing if they're legit or not. Despite my young age, I got to work in a hell of a lot of clubs and got good money out of it. Helped that I was able to lie about my age too." A smirk spread across Henri's face as they remembered all the women who tried to buy them drinks while they worked.

Their thoughts were interrupted by Rachel's voice.

"So, what does that have to do with you needing her now? Is there another job for you?"

"Basically, yeah. The boss's son goes here and heard my music when he walked past my room. He told his old man and they caught me on one of my runs earlier. I got an audition or whatever tomorrow and I need Rain to see how legit they are. Also, I need back up in case things go bad."

"Do you want us to come along too?" Quinn asked. She was kind of worried when Henri mentioned the last part.

"Nah. Too many people might do me in. Don't worry. Rain and I can take care of ourselves."

"Well…" Rachel began. "Since there are a few hours before Rain returns, can we hear some of your music?"

"Sure. Let's head to my room then."

The trio got up and made their way out, heading to Henri's dorm building.

-x-o-x-o-x-

Vibrations in the pocket of Quinn's dress alerted her to a call. The blonde signaled the other to turn the music down, allowing the tunes to "Rainism" to be heard from her phone. She quickly answered it and put it on speaker.

"Yes, Rain?" Quinn said with a smile.

"I noticed that there was a very pink suitcase by your bed," the voice on the other end stated. "So unless your tastes have changed dramatically in the past few hours, we seem to have a guest."

"Hi, Rain!" Rachel greeted happily. A soft chuckle was heard from the other end.

"Hey, Rachel. Where are you two right now?" Rain inquired.

"They're with me in my room." Henri said.

"Henri? Showing them your music, huh?"

"Yup. I actually need to talk to you about a gig. Head over this way?"

"I'm actually starving. Let's meet up somewhere to eat. Since Rachel's here, how about that Chinese place down on Orange? They have some good vegan options."

Everyone agreed to the location, since the other three were hungry as well, and agreed to meet up in fifteen minutes.

The trio managed to get to the restaurant in ten minutes, meeting Rain who had already made it there. Rachel ran up to the Asian and hugged her in greeting before all four sat down and ordered their food. Once they all settled down and had their food, Henri told Rain all about the new job.

"I'll go with you. Tomorrow, right?" Henri nodded in affirmation. "Alright then. We'll do that. Quinn, I guess that'll leave you to give Rach the grand tour."

Quinn looked over to the brunette next to her and smiled, which Rachel returned with her own brilliant one.

"Fine by me. Just give me a call when you're done and you can meet up with us."

Rain nodded in agreement and just like that, they had plans. Much easier than how things went back in New York.

The group continued to eat and chat for another four hours. Laughs filled the restaurant and later the streets as they walked back to campus. Eventually, Rain and Henri headed the group, talking about their plan for the audition/interview tomorrow. Rachel and Quinn fell behind them, contently enjoying each other's presence as they held hands. It seemed to Rain, who was subtly glancing at them, that their affection seemed to come easier as time went by. A sly smile graced her features as her plans fall into place.

They parted ways with Henri and made it to Rain and Quinn's room where they continued to joke and laugh. Soon enough, they ended up exhausted and decided to call it a night. However, it wasn't without some difficulty.

"Rachel, it's ok. You can take my bed. I won't let you sleep on the floor."

"Quinn! I cannot let you do that! Sleeping on the floor will not do anything to help your back. I insist that I take the floor. I'm the guest after all."

"That's precisely why you should take the bed. You're the guest. If being a Fabray taught me anything, it's good hospitality."

Rain just sat on her bed, watching the two argue. It had been amusing at first, but after ten minutes, it was getting tiresome. She had offered to sleep on the floor herself, but Rachel refused her, saying that she needed to be on the top of her game if she were to help Henri in the morning.

"Ok, ok," Rain piped in, tired of the arguing. "I don't see why you two can't share the bed. You did so back in New York."

The two froze where they stood. The tallest of the trio quirked an eyebrow, a habit she picked up from Quinn.

"W-well," Rachel began. "My bed is much larger than Quinn's. We don't have much room for ourselves if we were to share."

'No shit, Sherlock,' Rain thought and sighed. "You two are friends. I'm sure cuddling isn't an issue."

"But...Quinn's back..." was Rachel's weak retort.

"Quinn..." The Asian looked over at her roommate, who had said nothing in this exchange. The other girl just sighed, knowing that this had to be settled soon, lest they be up for another hour.

"I'm fine with it. With the weather getting warmer, my back doesn't hurt quite as bad anymore. I'll be fine."

Rachel continued to look like she was going to debate even more, but dropped the issue, realizing that it was pretty late as well.

"If you don't mind..."

"Finally," Rain let out. "Now, get to bed, the both of you."

She ushered the other two towards the bed and made her way to their small bathroom. Upon returning, she saw that Rachel took the spot by the wall and Quinn took the spot on the outside. She smiled and shook her head before making her way to to duo. Bending down, she laid a kiss on Quinn's forehead, then on Rachel's before making her way to her own bed and passing out almost immediately.

Rachel peeked up over Quinn's body to look at Rain.

"Was she always that affectionate with you?" She quietly asked. The kisses were unexpected and it confused her. Quinn just smiled and shuffled slightly, getting more comfortable.

"She started doing that a couple weeks ago after we got back from New York. We had been studying so much that we barely saw each other. Often times, she would get back here late, after I'd gone to bed. Since we had always said good night to each other, it was weird for us to go to bed at separate times. I guess it was her way of saying good night to me without waking me up. She told me that she did it for her sister when they were younger, and it just kind of stuck."

"Huh...That's kind of adorable." Quinn let out a soft chuckle.

"Don't let her hear that. She tries hard to maintain her tomboy image."

The two shared a laugh, finally relaxing enough to not dwell on the fact that their bodies seem to fit so well together. Soon enough, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

-x-o-x-o-x-

Rachel stretched, arching her back as she laid on the grass. There was an area right outside of Rain and Quinn's dorm building that was an excellent spot to relax. She and Quinn had walked all over campus, the blonde showing her companion where she took classes and certain hangout spots that she would spend her time in with her friends, including The Playground. Quinn was leaning against the large tree and sighed contently.

"The weather's so nice today. A pleasant change from the abnormal cold that's been going through recently." Rachel nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. It's still pretty chilly in New York. Kurt's been complaining a bit," she said with a laugh. The blonde joined in and looked up in time to see one of her friends walk by.

"Nat!" She waved the short girl over, who smiled and made her way towards the duo. Rachel squealed when she saw the dog that the newcomer had and reached out to pet it. With a chuckle, Quinn introduced the two.

"Nat, this is Rachel. Rachel, Nat. She's Henri's roommate."

"Nice to meet you." She reached up and shook the girl's hand, which she returned with a slight bow.

"A pleasure. I'm guessing Rain's still with Henri?"

"Yup," Quinn replied. "They should be finished soon though. By the way, is that your dog?" She pointed to the little shiba inu currently attacking Rachel's face with sloppy kisses.

"No, he's my brother's. Since I'm done with exams, I offered to watch over him while Hieu works on his final project. He wants to get as much as he can planned so he doesn't have to worry about it during Spring Break."

"What is his final project anyway?" Quinn had met Nat's brother once before. He seemed really nice, but the brief meeting was cut short when he was called away for something pertaining to the project.

"It's just a thesis on how the arts influences more than people think. He's planning a showcase to help drive his point. He's been working on getting different acts together and how to make it flow."

Rachel's ears perked up at the chance to perform. Quinn laughed, seeing as the dog she was playing with had mimicked her movements. Even the normally stoic Nat cracked a smile.

"Is he looking for local acts or can anyone join?" The blonde just rolled her eyes at Rachel's question.

"Local is best, but he's willing to look even outside the state. One of Rain's friends, Mike I think his name was, sent in a video of his dancing. Hieu's actually talking to him to help choreograph some things."

"Mike, as in Mike Chang?" Rachel asked, wide-eyed.

"Uh, I guess? Rain said something about him being friends with you guys."

"Wow. So how would one go about auditioning for your brother?"

The short Asian thought about it for a moment. "Well, you can actually come by the apartment later. I'm house sitting and taking care of little Kuma here. Henri's meeting up with him later to talk about music anyway, so you guys can join them."

"Is there anything your brother is looking for specifically?"

"Not really." Quinn was getting really amused at this back and forth exchange. It was just happening so quickly. "He's got acts lined up from singing to dancing, acting to fashion shows, and everything in between. He's gathered a bunch of auditions already, so he's really just narrowing it down now. But if you got the chops, he wouldn't mind hearing you sing. I heard you got some pipes anyway."

Rachel looked over at Quinn, who just looked away innocently. Rachel smiled and agreed to the meeting.

"Cool. I'll see you both later then." Nat nodded to them both before whistling for Kuma and walking away.

Once she was gone, Quinn and Rachel looked at each other.

"Never passing up a chance to perform, huh Rach?" The brunette just smiled and shrugged.

"You think if we used Skype, Kurt and Santana can audition as well?"

Quinn let out a laugh, throwing her head back only to have it hit the tree behind her. It didn't stop her giggles though, as she continued while she rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm sure Hieu won't mind. He's really nice and professional. Much like Nat, but a little less indifferent."

The shorter of the two nodded and sat back next to Quinn, thinking about what to sing for her audition. In the silence, a question popped into Rachel's mind.

"Quinn, what are you going to do for Spring Break? Are you heading back to Lima?"

The blonde shook her head. "No. I'm actually heading to Boston with Rain."

Rachel furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, aside from sightseeing on my part, we're gonna see if her dad can help a little bit with my back. He's an acupuncturist so maybe he can do something for me."

The other girl just nodded. Quinn let out a little huff of air, a slight laugh, as she looked at her friend.

"Would you like to join us? I'm sure Rain won't mind and her sister would be excited to see more people. She seemed excited enough to know that I was coming along."

"Are you sure it would be alright? I wouldn't want to impose."

"We'll ask Rain later, how about that?" Quinn offered. "We'll hear it right from her."

"Ok then. Sounds good to me."

-x-o-x-o-x-

Six people sat in the small living room of Hieu's apartment. Kuma was prancing about, excited to have so many people around to play with. They were waiting on Henri to set up their sound equipment before they started on Rachel's audition.

"You know, there's quite a few talented people on your end," Hieu said to Rachel and Quinn.

He was at least six foot tall and had the build of a runner, similar to Nat. He also seemed to have a perpetual cowlick on the back of his head that he swears he can't do anything about. The most striking feature, however, was his eyes. He shared the same mismatched eyes as his little sister, and to Rachel, looking at the two siblings was kind of strange. The two seemed very different, yet shared that one quality that definitely made them related.

"Mike just sent me videos of your friends, Mercedes and Brittany. They're fantastic." The male gushed.

The Lima duo smiled at the praise of their friends.

"Well," Rachel began. "You'll see a few more, actually." The only male of the group tilted his head, asking her to clarify.

"Aside from Rachel, we would like you to hear two of our other friends who are currently in New York," said Quinn. "If that's all right with you, that is."

"Of course! More options for me. Now, Rachel. What would you be able to specialize in? So I have an idea of where to place you."

"I'm fine with anything pertaining to musical theater. Singing and acting are my strongest suits. I can dance as well, but not as well as Brittany or Mike."

"Noted."

"Finished!" Everyone turned their heads to look at Henri standing between two speakers with their laptop and various DJ equipment in front of them. With a nod, Hieu motioned for Rachel to stand up and perform and sat down between Quinn and Nat. Rain sat off to the side, keeping Kuma occupied and quiet. Hieu turned on his camcorder and nodded to the New Yorker.

"Hello. My name is Rachel Berry and I will be performing 'Chasing Pavements' by Adele." She nodded to Henri, who started playing the song.

By the end of the performance, the Nguyen siblings and Henri had their jaws on the ground. Quinn and Rain were smiling smugly while Rachel did a quick curtsy before taking her spot next to Quinn.

"Wow..." Hieu managed to get out after a moment. "And I thought Mercedes was killer. If your other friends are that good, we're gonna have a damn good show."

Rachel and Quinn smiled at each other, eager to see their friends in action again. They all chatted for a moment while Quinn set up her Skype, allowing their two friends to audition as well, guaranteeing a successful show.

* * *

**A/N****: Again! I'm so sorry for the long wait. I finally got past this block and dished this out. Next chapter will have Rain, Rachel, and Quinn in Bean Town! I won't guarantee that I won't make you guys wait that long again, but I'll try not to.**

**Read, Review, Criticize constructively. It's all appreciated!**

**And thank you again for everyone who followed, faved, and reviewed. You guys keep me goin' :3**


	9. Off to Bean Town!

**A/N: Sorry for any mistakes I've made and if it seemed really out of place. Please enjoy regardless.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just Rain and her family.**

* * *

Rain let out a sigh when she finally parked her car in her parents' driveway. The three-story home was about half an hour from Boston itself. The family had moved from the city after Rain had graduated, but they all still insisted that she had her own room to come home to. It was a nice gesture, and she was glad that she had a space for herself rather than having to use the guest room. After taking in the sight of the house, she turned to look at her companions with a smile.

Quinn and Rachel had passed out about an hour ago, allowing Rain to take solace in silence for the remainder of the journey. The Yale duo had left New Haven early to accommodate for the unpredictable traffic as well as stopping in New York to pick up Rachel. Rain was glad that they had spare time because most of it was spent being teased about her thick glasses. She had learned from the last road trip that driving continuously with contacts on were killer on her eyes, so she opted out of them this time around. Santana had a field day with the fact and didn't stop until everyone was in the car. It didn't bother Rain though since it was something to expect from the Latina.

Once in the car, Rachel had taken control of "vehicle entertainment," as she so eloquently put it. But after several failed games, the trio ended up just singing the rest of the way to Massachusetts. Rain took it in stride at first, but after a while of idiot drivers and traffic jams, being halfway through "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall" had begun to grate on her nerves a bit. Not that Rain would say it out loud, mind you. It had done wonders to helped take Quinn's mind away from the driving and the Asian wasn't going to do anything to take that away.

Now sitting on the driveway, Rain stole a quick picture of the sleeping pair before waking them up. Rachel's head laid on Quinn's shoulder while the Quinn's head laid on top of Rachel's. The brunette was curled up slightly at Quinn's side, an arm loosely around the blonde's waist. Quinn's arm had found it's way around Rachel's body, hugging her close. Rain couldn't help but find it utterly adorable, but she had to get them up and moving. Groggy from their nap, Quinn and Rachel got out of the car, helped Rain unload their luggage from the car, and trudged up the patio steps towards the front door.

The tallest of the three allowed the others time to wake up a bit more before ringing the doorbell. After a moment, running footsteps could be heard from inside the house.

"Uh oh. You two should back up a bit," Rain warned. The former Lima residents looked at each other and backed up slightly, just in time to see the door swing open and someone nearly tackle Rain to the ground.

"_Jie jie_! You're home!"

"Xiao! I missed you!"

Rain swung her sister around and hugged her tightly. When she finally put her down, Quinn was surprised to see that Xiao was shorter than herself, though not by much. She had seemed taller through the computer. The blonde looked over at the brunette next to her and cracked a smile when she saw that Rachel was pouting slightly, knowing that she was the shortest of the group.

The Asians turned to look at the other two, one with a fond smile, the other with one of polite surprise. Rain raised her arm and gestured to her friends.

"Xiao, this is Quinn, my roommate," she said as she swung an arm around the blonde. "And Rachel." She swung her other arm around the brunette.

"Girls, this is my little sister, Xiao."

The girl before them was very slim, making it obvious that she had a very high metabolism. Where Rain had slight muscle mass from running, Xiao had almost seemingly nonexistent muscle mass. Like her sister though, she had side-swept bangs, but that's where the similarities end. She had light brown, long hair that would've handed on her lower back if weren't for the fact that it was currently in a side ponytail. She was also very feminine compared to her sister. There was light makeup on her face and she donned shorts and a tank top that slightly hugged her figure.

With a smile, Xiao bowed to her sister's friends and greeted them.

"It's nice to finally meet you both. Rain told me a lot about you." She looked up at Rain. "_Ma ma_ is waiting so we should get you guys inside."

With a nod, everyone gathered their things and made their way into the home. Quinn and Rachel were surprised with how homey, yet foreign it felt.

"We can leave our things by the stairs for now. We'll bring 'em up when we head up there," Rain stated. "Gotta say hi to my mom first."

As instructed, the two guests left their belongings and followed the sisters to the kitchen where various enticing aromas flowed from. Various voices could be heard as they neared their destination. Rain made it first, resulting in happy exclamations and greetings. Rachel and Quinn lingered behind, waiting to be introduced. From what they saw, there were three other women in the kitchen. They assumed that the one hugging Rain at the moment was her mother.

Rain's mother was a short woman. Possibly shorter that Rachel. Her hair was jet black and currently held up in a messy bun. To them, she couldn't have looked older than her early thirties, but they were sure that she was much older, especially when her eyes turn towards them and they saw the age and wisdom behind it.

"_Ma ma_, these are my friends, Quinn and Rachel," Rain introduced. "Girls, this is my mom, Qian."

The two both bowed slightly and offered a smile.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Song," Quinn said. The woman just smiled and pulled the girl into a hug, startling her.

"No need to be so formal," she said, a Chinese accent evident in her voice. "When you are here, you will be like family." Mrs. Song broke from the embrace and turned to look at Rachel. "Same for you. Treat this like your home."

After pulling the brunette into a hug as well, she allowed Rain to introduce the other women, who happened to be her aunts. Greetings were passed around before the three college students finally went up to their rooms located on the third floor which incidentally was also the attic.

It seemed that the girls had the entire floor to themselves. It consisted of four main rooms. Rain and Xiao's rooms were across from each other, down a mini hallway that branched out from the main one. Down the end of the major hallway, past the bathroom was the guest room. Quinn and Rachel were surprised to see that it was the largest of the three bedrooms. It even had a separate bathroom they could use.

Despite this, Rain and Xiao brought the luggage to Rain's room. The Lima duo were confused and questioned the two.

"Family's planning a get-together since Rain's back home," the youngest of the group stated. "These tend to get wicked huge and go on for a while. People stay over and all that jazz."

"So, since the guest room is the biggest room on this floor, we're gonna let the family use it for tonight," Rain added. "Let them cram as many people as they can in there. It's just for tonight, so don't worry. You'll get some time on your own, without me to pester you."

Rain's wink and grin caused Quinn and Rachel to blush at the implication that resulted from the comment. They glanced at each other before making their way into Rain's room.

The room was the smallest of the three bedrooms, but it was still able to accommodate the three of them easily. It was fairly bare, with a queen-sized futon on the floor, a desk in the corner and a t.v by the west wall. Her dresser was built into the east wall, which went up to Rain's waist before continuing the rest of the way in a slant. Though the white walls weren't adorned with posters, it was filled with drawings and random words, like graffiti. Quinn and Rachel looked at it all in awe.

"My friends would come by and we'd draw on the walls before I left. My parents were cool with it as long as there wasn't anything crude." Rain smiled contently as her eyes traveled along the walls, looking at the various doodles and names. She pulled out her basket of writing utensils and handed it to her friends.

"How 'bout it? Go ahead and make your mark."

Rachel let out a little squeal before grabbing a black sharpie and a yellow marker. Finding a spot, she signed her name and drew a big yellow star next to it.

"There. Now you can say that Rachel Berry signed your wall before she became a star."

Rain laughed and thanked the girl before holding out the basket for Quinn. The blonde looked up at the wall thoughtfully before shaking her head at her roommate.

"Let me think about it. I promise I'll have something by the end of the week." The Asian shrugged and set the basket down on her desk.

"It's there when you need 'em. In the meantime, let me give you a tour of the rest of the house."

Rain lead the girls through the entire house, including her and her sister's room of achievements which held their trophies and instruments. Where Rain had preferred the piano, Xiao preferred the violin. Rachel made a mental note to have the two perform together before they left. Eventually, they made their way to the basement, where they would be spending the majority of their time according to the tour guide.

"This is where the younger generation tend to congregate. The adults take over the main living area and they stay out the way." Here in the basement, there were various things to keep everyone entertained. A ping pong table was off to the side and near it was a drum set. What took up the majority of the room was the entertainment system. A big screen t.v took its spot at the widest wall, surrounded by a couple of different game systems and an impressive sound system. In the cabinet under it, there was a large collection of various movies.

"Xiao uses the basement when she has sleepovers. Sometimes, she'll even use it when she wants to be alone and shoot people via Call of Duty."

It was at that moment where Rachel caught sight of the karaoke machine.

"RAIN! We must sing tonight! I require it to be a mandatory activity!"

"Rachel..."

Rain just let out a laugh while Quinn held her face in her hand.

"Rach, that's definitely gonna happen. We Asians like our karaoke."

The brunette just let out a "yay!" and clapped her hands together before following Quinn and Rain back upstairs.

"Alrighty. I'm gonna stay down here and help Mom with the food prep. You two take a break and get some relax. We're in for a LONG night."

And she wasn't kidding.

-x-o-x-o-x-

At nightfall, the calm house erupted with energy. Rain and Xiao's father had come home in time to greet the first guests. After a quick introduction for Quinn and Rachel, the rush began. It was something that the duo had never seen before. Within the hour, the house was full of people.

Dozen of cars parked at the Songs' small acupuncture center next door, allowing free space in the driveway for the picnic set up that they had. The children were running around in the small field by the house under the watchful eyes of the adults and the older teens were glued to their phones. There was so much going on, it started to make Quinn's head spin. Rachel, on the other hand, looked as though she was about to burst with the amount of energy she was drawing in from everyone. The two of them were situated on the porch, away from the crowd, while Rain was making her rounds. They had gotten inquiries about who they were from the other guest, but otherwise they were left mostly on their own. Eventually, Rain found her way towards the duo with three plates in her arms.

"Finally! God, it's like everyone wants to talk to me. They all say the same thing too. It's annoying!" Rain handed her friends their plates before settling down next to Quinn. Rachel picked through her food when she got her plate. Rain watched in amusement before speaking up again.

"It's all vegan, I swear. Mom actually set up a table just for you."

"Wait, there's actually vegan food for once!? I can actually eat here?"

Everyone's eyes shot up to one of Rain's cousins who happened to pass by. She was the embodiment of a preppy girl from what Rachel could see. After getting a nod of affirmation, she strode off towards the food.

"That was..."

"Johanna," the Asian finished for Quinn. "She's the same age as Xiao. She thinks she's the shit because she's dating the star quarterback. Obviously, Xiao doesn't get along with her."

"So, do you normally not have vegan food at these events? Even though you have family members who are vegan?" Rachel asked.

"We normally don't because Johanna's the only one who's vegan. She's the pickiest eater out of all of us," Rain explained. "The only reason we have vegan food now is because I requested Mom to make some for you."

The other two nodded before eating. Rachel was pleased to know that they were going out of their way to allow her to maintain her diet. It was strange though because she was sure that she didn't mention it to Rain at all, which meant that Quinn had told her. It warmed her heart to know that Quinn cared enough to remember that fact about her life.

As each person passed them, Rain gave a quick explanation of who they were.

"That's Uncle Henry. His actual name literally means 'Twelve.' The guy next to him is Kai. He moved here recently from Beijing and is taking classes here. And that lady coming toward us i- Oh! Auntie Devon!"

Rachel noticed Quinn freeze at the sound of the woman's name. Rain stood up and hugged the woman before them.

The older Asian was as tall as Rain with her heels on. Long, straight hair framed high cheek bones and elegant features. Her dark brown eyes held a mystery behind them, making it seem as though she knew all of your secrets. Naturally, Quinn tried to shrink into herself and hide when that gaze was turned onto her.

"Auntie, this is Rachel," she pointed to the brunette. " and Quinn."

The diva stood up to greet the woman, but Quinn lingered back, trying to make herself disappear but to no avail. Devon walked up to Quinn, eyeing her.

"So, you're Quinn. I've heard a lot about you, dear."

She held out her hand for her to take. Quinn was hesitant at first, but squared her shoulders and took the offered hand and shook it.

The brunette was confused. She hadn't known that Quinn knew someone in Rain's family but considering the blonde's reaction, she was sure that there was a bit of bad blood. Rain also noticed Quinn's reaction and rolled her eyes. She bumped her shoulder against her aunt's, gaining her attention.

"Stop that. You're gonna give my roommate a heart attack."

Right away, Devon's eyes softened and a wide smile graced her face.

"I'm sorry, dear. I couldn't help it but you pick up little fun habits after living with a Psychology professor."

She pulled Quinn's hand and wrapped her into a tight hug. This threw Quinn for a moment before she tentatively returned the embrace.

"Don't worry about the whole thing with my ex-husband," Devon whispered into Quinn's ear. "He's a snake and a charmer. I don't blame you for falling for it. I made the same mistake."

She pulled away with a smile, leaving Quinn speechless. Rachel looked over at Rain, hoping for any clue about what was going on. She just shrugged and shook her head. Afterwards, the older woman took her leave to mingle with the adults, leaving the three girls alone.

"She's... nothing like I thought." Quinn managed to say.

"She likes to do that. It's a pain at times."

"So, how do you know her, Quinn?"

Rain and Quinn just looked at Rachel, then each other. The tallest of the three just stood up and walked away with her hands in the air.

"That's your story to tell. I ain't touching it."

"Rain! Don't you dare! She's your aunt! You're a part of this too!" Quinn hastily got up and chased after her roommate, leaving a bewildered brunette to slowly follow suit.

-x-o-x-o-x-

Sounds of screams and explosions filled the basement as small children ran around while games were being played. It was about to drive Quinn insane.

Once it had become dark and the mosquitoes began to appear, the party was moved indoors. It started out good, but eventually, all of the energy in the house erupted. The blonde even had some of the younger kids climb on her as they chased each other. By this point, she just allowed it. She was much too terrified to sit alone since she was cornered by one of Rain's drunken uncles and got the "be a good girl and stay in school" speech she had heard so much about. At least she had Rachel sitting next to her, even if she was playing with one of the calmer kids. She also had a great view of Rain's intense ping pong match that had been going on for the past twenty minutes.

Loud thuds startled everyone as they all looked up to see an angry Xiao storm down the steps. The match forgotten, Rain made her way to her sister and asked what was wrong. The young girl didn't answer. She only looked around until she caught sight of Rachel and pointed at her.

"Rachel. Come with me. I need you to show up that bitch of a cousin of ours."

"Xiao, what's going on?" Rain managed to ask as Rachel made her way towards them, eager as always to show her skills. Quinn followed close behind.

"Johanna was talking shit about the 'white girls invading our house,'" she air-quoted. "I came to their defense, but when I mentioned Rachel's singing, she just scoffed and said that she was better."

"Is she a good singer?" Quinn asked. A few people around her let out a collective snort, including Rain and Xiao.

"Johanna thinks she can sing," said Rain. "But she really sounds like a dying cat."

"My sister's not that bad." One of the cousins, John, piped up. When everyone looked at him, he shrank back slightly. "Well... not anymore at least. She's been getting better over the years."

"But she doesn't have Rachel's years of training." Rachel beamed at Quinn, causing the blonde to wrap an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder in a brief hug.

"Point is, Rachel is a million times better than Jo," the blue-eyed Asian said. "And it's about time she gets put in her place. C'mon everyone! Let's head up to start karaoke!"

With a cheer, the group made their way upstairs to the living room. Once there, Xiao locked eyes with Johanna and everyone could feel the intensity in the air.

"Oh, what do we have here? Coming back to grovel at my feet? Beg for forgiveness?"

"You bi... Ugh!" Xiao was trying hard not to curse in front of the adults. Rain placed a hand on her sister's shoulder before taking over the situation.

"So I hear that you think you can sing better than Rachel."

"I don't think, Rainy," Johanna said. "I know. There's no one better than me." Rachel had to hold back a scoff and crossed her arms. Her back straightened, slightly peeved that she was being challenged.

"Well then. I'm sure you wouldn't mind a little contest, hm?" Rain offered. "One song each and the one with the most applause wins. How 'bout it, Jo?"

"And what do I get when I win?"

"Bragging rights for the rest of the year, plus I'll be your personal assistant." Rain looked over at her sister to make sure it was all right. Xiao shuddered at the thought of being a slave to Johanna, but she stuck to her decision.

"And if I lose?"

Rachel responded this time. "Then you apologize to Xiao and you'll be her slave for the duration of the year."

Johanna just smirked and nodded, agreeing to the wager. The two shook hands, sealing the verbal contract.

"So it's settled." Rain walked towards the entertainment system and pulled out a thick binder, setting it on the table near Johanna and Rachel. "Ladies... choose your song."

* * *

**A/N: I apologize again for the long wait. Thanks to everyone who endured.**

**Read, review, criticize constructively. It's all appreciated :3**


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